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Riley Chester-field Mouse has acquired both a name and some friends in this 2nd book of a series chronicling the life of the little field mouse. Through the same easy-read poetry and captivating caricatures exhibited in The Tale of the Christmas Hero, the author and artist comically relate the imaginative adventures -- and misadventures -- of Riley and his friends. The tale begins on a crisp, fall morning as Riley hastens to join his friends in their newly-discovered game called football. In a flashback to the previous week, Riley recalls his disastrous introduction to the sport when he tried to interject himself into a people-boys' game and was found to be no match for a football 10 times his size But his inventive friend, Gus, hatched a plan to scale the game down to their level, promising to bring a mouse-sized ball to their next Saturday play date. When Gus arrives at the field lugging a HUGE pumpkin, his friends scoff in disbelief until he climbs inside the pumpkin and proudly produces the perfect game ball -- a pumpkin seed So, then, "with walnut shells for helmets and long toenails for cleats, both teams stood ready to perform amazing football feats " The game and the story play out in clever detail as each mouse team scrambles to conquer the scoreboard before the hungry little Gus devours all the delicious-tasting balls Through a delightful twist at the end of the tale, the little mice discover friendship to be the real victor in their competition. The Tale of the Pumpkin Seed Squad is a delightful commentary on competition and sportsmanship that will surely charm even the least of its budding-athlete readers.

Through delightful, easy-read poetry and enchanting illustrations, the author and artist relate a whimsical tale of a little field mouse''s unlikely encounter with Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve. The colorful imagery created by this book''''s verse and corresponding artwork will amuse and fascinate the reader as it brings the story to vibrant life. The storyteller immediately beckons each reader to perceive his or her own hometown as the one nearly missed by the frolicking reindeer''''s diversion. This personalizes the anticipation as each aspect of the story unfolds. The tale begins with an exciting race as the frisky reindeer suddenly abandon their Christmas delivery work to plunge Santa''''s sleigh into a furious chase after a startled field mouse. The fun continues as the mouse''s escape plan finally outwits the reindeer, causing them to lead Santa and his sleigh into a most compromising situation. Their resulting predicament was clearly spelling disaster for Santa''s ability to complete his Christmas Eve duties But then . . . in a delightful turn of events, the Christmas team is rescued through another ingenious plan by the soft-hearted mouse and his recruited bear helpers. The story ends happily with Santa''''s Christmas Eve mission restored and the little mouse suitably rewarded by his new friends for his heroic efforts. The Tale of a Christmas Hero is a captivating children''s book that is sure to charm readers of all ages.