A few weeks ago, I went on a day trip with my son to Tybrisa Books in Lenoir, North Carolina. If you live in North Carolina, and you love books, Tybrisa Books is well worth your time to stop in and explore their selections. The used books are all $1.00. The store is clean, neat, and organized in well laid out and labeled sections. The staff are very helpful when you’re on the hunt for a specific book.
As we were perusing the shelves, my son handed me the book that I am reviewing today and said, “This looks like your kind of book.”
He knows me well.
Henry Cole not only wrote the book, but is also the illustrator.
The pictures are amazing! I wanted so badly to show you some of the pictures in the book, but feel like that would be a violation of Copyright laws. However, the front cover is a wonderful example of what you can expect. There are black and white illustrations on just about every written page. Some of the illustrations take up two pages and are very detailed.
In these times, it is so important to give your children something sweet and calming to look at, and take their minds off the violence and chaos so present in our world today. I would recommend this book just for that purpose, but the story is great, too.
This book is listed as a childhood and youth fiction book, with the history of John James Audubon included. The setting is on a New Orleans, Louisiana Plantation. The year is 1821.
What’s in the AFTERWORD.
In the AFTERWORD, the author says, “JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (1785-1851) was a master at creating powerful images filled with beauty and emotion, even though his subjects were merely birds. He spent most of his life traveling over much of eastern North America, often on foot, carrying paints and paper, sketching constantly, documenting the native plants and animals as they existed in the early 1800’s….This was years before photography, so his paintings are a record of animals and plants of another century and his artistic ability was self-taught, which makes his work even more amazing.” (p.339)
There is much more to the history lesson provided in the AFTERWORD, but the part of the story of the little mouse, Celeste, intertwines with the true story of Audubon staying at the Oakley Plantation and earning his room and board by give the plantation owner’s daughter dancing and drawing lessons. The thirteen-year-old Joseph (Mason) , is a true character written into the fictional story of Celeste, who traveled with Audubon for two years as an assistant and “became very skilled at painting botanical subjects, particularly wildflowers.” (p.340)
As the fictional story goes, Celeste— a very timid mouse— lives on the plantation in the dining room with two very mean rats who bully her and take her food. Add to that the terror of a vicious house cat that is trying to kill her, and you can see she definitely needs a new home.
After being chased up very steep stairs, she finds herself in Joseph’s room and hides in his boot. She is thinking of making the boot her home, when Joseph finds her and she ends up in his pocket. He is kind to her and very careful to keep her safe.
Throughout the story, she experiences one danger after another, but is always saved by the help of a new friend. Her friends are several kinds of different birds that Audubon traps to use in his drawings, and one in particular, a very helpful Osprey. But, she is most fond of Joseph who feeds her peanuts as she rides in his shirt pocket. (Joseph is depicted in the story as kind hearted and not always on board for the way Audubon treats his subjects for painting. If your child is extremely sensitive, I would recommend you reading the book to them and leaving out some of the parts that include how Audubon handles his subjects.)
The story has sweet and heartwarming details in between bits of danger and action. Will Celeste ever find the home of her dreams?
I highly recommend this book for children and youth, but I also recommend it to adults who might take an interest in the beautiful artwork and the history lesson on Audubon and Joseph.
A note to parents.
*** As with all books, it is important for you as a parent to read material prior to introducing it to your children. There are many great books out there, but at times they may include matter that your child might not be ready to be introduced to, i.e. the real world. As my children were growing up, I would read those type books out loud to them and edit the parts I didn’t want them to know about until they were older and could handle it.
Historical note.
***If you go to https://www.audubon.org/content/john-james-audubon (click on it to be taken to the site), you will find a picture of John James Audubon and a detailed description of who he was as a person. The true history of individuals is not always pretty—just read the Bible. But, it is important that we learn from others mistakes and make sure we are staying on God’s righteous plan for our lives and not causing harm to anyone. Even though Audubon did some very questionable things, he left us with important links to the study of the birds of America, and I think it is good to inform ourselves. Sometimes the best lessons in life come from seeing the evil intent in others and deciding— “I will not do that! And, sticking with your decision.”