Douglas - Hardcover

Cecil, Randy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763633976 ISBN 13: 9780763633974

Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA), 2019

Synopsis

In his follow-up to Lucy, Randy Cecil again tells a visually arresting tale in four acts -- this time about a brave movie-theater mouse on a daring adventure.

When 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.

About this title

About the Author

Randy Cecil is the illustrator of many books for children, including Lovabye Dragon, Evermore Dragon, and Sail Away Dragon, all written by Barbara Joosse, and Brontorina, written by James Howe. Randy Cecil is the author-illustrator of Lucy. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Excerpt. İ Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Act i

• 1 •

On a Saturday afternoon in Bloomville,
Iris Espinosa put on her sister’s blue sweater
and stepped out the front door.
A familiar buttery scent wafted through the air.
 
Popcorn.
 
Iris headed down the steps . . .
 
and made her way along the sidewalk,
past the enormous cat with six toes on each paw . . .
 
past Everett Dunn, whose mother did not allow him
to go beyond his stoop alone . . .
 
to the Majestic Cinema, where she bought a small box of
popcorn from a street vendor and a ticket from the box
office. Then she stepped inside.
 
She made her way down the aisle
and along the front row to her usual seat.
 
The lights dimmed, and the projector started up
with a click, click, click.
Iris watched the screen, rapt, as her hero leapt and
dashed about, narrowly escaping danger at every turn.

• 2 •
 
A few rows back, a little mouse was watching the screen,
too.
 
But the sight of popcorn falling through the fingers of the
Woman with the Large Hat a few seats over
pulled the little mouse away.
 
The Woman with the Large Hat came to the cinema every
afternoon. And, to the little mouse’s delight,
she happened to be very careless with her snacks.
 
The little mouse danced about,
snatching falling kernels from the air . . .
 
and feasting on one fluffy bite after another,
until she felt rather queasy.
 
To ease her aching belly, the little mouse took a little
walk. And she belched a little belch.
Then she hopped up on a cushiony seat to take a nap.
 
To her surprise, a girl in a blue sweater was sitting
 in the next seat over, smiling at her.
 
The little mouse considered skittering away.
But her belly was still rumbling. So she settled down
in the soft, cozy folds of the girl’s sweater instead.

On the screen, the hero was bravely swinging on
a vine from one castle window to another.
But the little mouse was more interested in a pocket she
had discovered above the folds of the girl’s blue sweater.
The pocket looked like the softest, coziest place of all.
So she climbed inside.
Then the little mouse fell asleep.

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763633976
• ISBN 13: 9780763633974
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cecil Randy
• Number of pages: 120