{"product_id":"douglas-isbn-9780763633974","title":"Douglas","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn his follow-up to \u003ci\u003eLucy,\u003c\/i\u003e Randy Cecil again tells a visually arresting tale in four acts — this time about a brave movie-theater mouse on a daring adventure.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Iris Espinosa goes to the cinema, she doesn’t expect to meet a small mouse. And she certainly doesn’t expect that mouse to stow away in her sweater pocket. At home, Iris is delighted by the mouse’s daring, which reminds her of the actor Douglas Fairbanks. And so begin the adventures of a sweet, plucky mouse named Douglas, who must overcome obstacles aplenty, from hungry cats to broom-wielding humans, as she journeys across the tall rooftops of Bloomville to return to her movie-theater home. Full of high-stakes chases, clever escapes, and valiant rescues, Randy Cecil’s story is a cinematic and meticulously crafted celebration of courage and friendship.In this superb companion tale to Cecil's \u003ci\u003eLucy\u003c\/i\u003e (2016), the worlds of a moviegoing girl, an audacious mouse, and a crafty cat mingle and clash in Bloomville...The artist's duotone-spun, vintage artwork recalls the quaint splendors of yesteryear, peppered with minor visual gags and worldbuilding details. Primary human characters present white. A splendiferous wowzer.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book is organized into four “acts,” and repetition is employed to interweave story lines and characters. The plot is well paced and smartly presented, with no more than a few sentences on each page. A thoughtful balance of image and text allows for gentle humor to emerge as readers follow the intrepid mouse’s adventures.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book follows Douglas throughout the city, highlighting a variety of subplots—the one with a boy finding a companion in one of Douglas’ feline pursuers is particularly satisfying—and youngsters familiar with the eponymous Lucy of the last book will be happy to spot her here. While the vocabulary will likely stretch some kids’ skills, the focused illustrations and episodic “acts” make this an easy pick for transitional readers.\u003cbr\u003e—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCecil’s tale is reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo, Beverly Cleary, or any other author exploring the inner lives of animals and how they interact with a human world that can be big and scary, as well as full of love and friendship.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll types of readers will be rooting for the little mouse to make it home safely.  It would make a great read aloud and teachers could use it as a catalyst for many creative projects.  Since the story ends with Douglas back in Iris’s pocket, students could create new and original adventures of their own design either through writing, podcasting, or making videos.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Connection\u003cb\u003eRandy Cecil \u003c\/b\u003eis the illustrator of many books for children, including \u003ci\u003eLovabye Dragon, Evermore Dragon, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSail Away Dragon,\u003c\/i\u003e all written by Barbara Joosse, and \u003ci\u003eBrontorina,\u003c\/i\u003e written by James Howe. Randy Cecil is the author-illustrator of \u003ci\u003eLucy.\u003c\/i\u003e He lives in Houston, Texas.\u003cb\u003eAct i\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• 1 •\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On a Saturday afternoon in Bloomville, \u003cbr\u003e Iris Espinosa put on her sister’s blue sweater \u003cbr\u003e and stepped out the front door. \u003cbr\u003e A familiar buttery scent wafted through the air.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Popcorn.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Iris headed down the steps . . .\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e and made her way along the sidewalk, \u003cbr\u003e past the enormous cat with six toes on each paw . . .\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e past Everett Dunn, whose mother did not allow him \u003cbr\u003e to go beyond his stoop alone . . .\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e to the Majestic Cinema, where she bought a small box of \u003cbr\u003epopcorn from a street vendor and a ticket from the box \u003cbr\u003eoffice. Then she stepped inside.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e She made her way down the aisle \u003cbr\u003e and along the front row to her usual seat. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The lights dimmed, and the projector started up \u003cbr\u003e with a \u003ci\u003eclick, click, click.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Iris watched the screen, rapt, as her hero leapt and \u003cbr\u003edashed about, narrowly escaping danger at every turn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• 2 •\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e A few rows back, a little mouse was watching the screen, \u003cbr\u003etoo.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But the sight of popcorn falling through the fingers of the \u003cbr\u003eWoman with the Large Hat a few seats over \u003cbr\u003e pulled the little mouse away. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The Woman with the Large Hat came to the cinema every\u003cbr\u003e afternoon. And, to the little mouse’s delight, \u003cbr\u003e she happened to be very careless with her snacks.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The little mouse danced about, \u003cbr\u003e snatching falling kernels from the air . . .\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e and feasting on one fluffy bite after another, \u003cbr\u003e until she felt rather queasy.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e To ease her aching belly, the little mouse took a little \u003cbr\u003ewalk. And she belched a little belch. \u003cbr\u003e Then she hopped up on a cushiony seat to take a nap. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e To her surprise, a girl in a blue sweater was sitting\u003cbr\u003e  in the next seat over, smiling at her.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The little mouse considered skittering away. \u003cbr\u003e But her belly was still rumbling. So she settled down \u003cbr\u003e in the soft, cozy folds of the girl’s sweater instead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On the screen, the hero was bravely swinging on \u003cbr\u003e a vine from one castle window to another. \u003cbr\u003e But the little mouse was more interested in a pocket she \u003cbr\u003ehad discovered above the folds of the girl’s blue sweater. \u003cbr\u003eThe pocket looked like the softest, coziest place of all. \u003cbr\u003e So she climbed inside. \u003cbr\u003e Then the little mouse fell asleep.","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299768750309,"sku":"NP9780763633974","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780763633974.jpg?v=1767725578","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/douglas-isbn-9780763633974","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}