by Palmer Brown
Back Cover Description:
Grandfather Clock makes a lovely home for a family of mice - if you don't mind the occasional clang. And here Hickory lives with his parents, his brother, Dickory, and his sister, Dock. But Hickory is a restless, fearless mouse, and he longs to be on the move, to breathe the sweet air and nibble on the wild strawberries of the fields. So one day in early spring, with the smells of honeysuckle and clover guiding him, he strikes out on his own. Soon he discovers that a meadow can be a lonely place, even with all its beetles and caterpillars. It's not until Hop the grasshopper comes around that Hickory finds a true companion. Hop warns him, though, that when the days get shorter and the goldenrod begins to fade, the "song she sings will soon be done." How Hickory and Hop confront and eventually accept the end of summer forms the core of Palmer Brown's poignant story.
My Thoughts:
I discovered this delightful little book while perusing through a local bookstore. How I had previously missed it is amazing since it's compared to Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and E. B. White's Charlotte's Web. The book is loaded with illustrations just as lovely as those shown on its cover. The book is also considered a field guide to some common spring, summer, and autumn plants and flowers. Written in a poetic style, Hickory will have a place of honor in my library of children's books. I would highly recommend this forty-two page chapter book to readers from the ages of eight to eighty!
To learn more about Palmer Brown and his books, click here: http://www.nybooks.com/books/authors/palmer-brown/
