Long before the words make sense, Mousie,
I will read to you
The simplest story,
about an acorn that drops to the ground.

So begins this warm and poignant picture book that follows a mama mouse and her baby mouse on the little mouse's journey to becoming a reader--from infancy, to toddlerhood, to elementary school, and beyond. When Mousie is little, Mama sings him lullabies about the sky, repeats back his DA DA DEES and BA BA BEES, and reads him poems and stories about wonderful things like forests and bears. Then one day, on a playground next to the library, Mousie sounds out a word, then two, then three . . . and a reader is born!

• “With subtly colored illustrations, Melissa Crowton captures the essential charm of this story. Mother and child are often shown touching or embracing, and Crowton does an amazing job conveying their heartwarming affection for each other and the stories they share.” - BookPage Review