Christmas with the Mousekins »

Maggie Smith has loved mice and especially books about mice since she was very young. She has also been a crafter and a stuffed-toy designer since childhood. One of her first jobs was sewing puppets for Jim Henson. She now devotes most of her time to creating picture books for young readers and was thrilled to be able to include all of her loves in this book.

Some of Maggie Smith’s acclaimed books include One Naked Baby; Paisley; Dear Daisy, Get Well Soon; and Desser the Best Ever Cat. She lives in Seattle. To read more about Maggie’s books, you can visit www.maggiebooks.com, and to see some of her stuffed creations, you can visit www.maggierama.etsy.com.

Join the Mousekin family as they prepare for Christmas! Filled with crafts and recipes, poems and stories, this is a Christmas book to share with the whole family, year after year.

All the highlights of a great December are here. The Mousekins pick out and decorate a tree. Make paper snowflakes with Nana Mousekin. Bake cookies for friends and neighbors. Write letters to Santa Mouse. Welcome carolers. Sled and skate and make a snowmouse. Share family stories of Christmases past. And find secret corners of the house to work on surprise presents for each other.

You can celebrate along with the Mousekins—this book includes recipes for cookies, instructions for paper and felt crafts, and stories and poems to share with your family.

Maggie Smith perfectly captures the happy whirl that is Christmas—when the house smells of cinnamon and ginger and you’re putting the finishing touches on homemade gifts, and the excitement of secrets soon to be revealed is buzzing in the air. Open these pages and step into the warmth of family, the spirit of sharing, and a season full of love.

Publishers Weekly

Smith introduces a crafty--as in resourceful--family of mice in this story about the bustle during the days leading up to Christmas. Kid-friendly projects (mostly paper crafts) and recipes are interspersed, so after siblings Mimi and Momo make decorations with their grandmother, readers can do the same. The story is slight, but several poems and ministories add variety, and Smith's cozy mixed-media scenes of the close-knit family celebrate a holiday filled with baking, homemade gifts, and kind deeds. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)