Publisher Description

This second book in the series of countryside tales about the adventures of Henry the field mouse, will continue to delight children aged 3-10 with the telling of Henry's escapades. After exploring the town market, Henry and his friends return home accompanied by their new town mouse friend. Back in the familiar garden, Henry introduces his new friend to his pals the hedgehog, water vole, and horse. As winter comes to the country garden, the adventurous mice hear the Christmas Story when visiting the village church and enjoy playing in the snow. In the final chapter they encounter a dangerous intruder to the garden whose winter coat offers a clever camouflage.The beautifully illustrated pages will encourage curiosity in the natural world as children learn a little about the appearance and habitats of different animals. Throughout this series of three delightful books children will love how Henry makes friends with almost everyone- steering clear of those who might like him for their supper! The antics of these wildlife creatures will capture the imagination of those already reading by themselves and are divided into short chapters for 'read to me' bedtime stories.

Author Biography

Jo Coker is an 89-year-old retired florist and grandmother who always hoped her children and grandchildren would share her love of the English countryside. She grew up in rural England and started writing stories about Henry the field mouse when her grandchildren moved to Hong Kong, hoping they'd retain a connection to the countryside. Researching the lifestyles of the wild animals in her countryside tales has led to an increased respect for habitat conservation for mice, hedgehogs, squirrels, water voles, rabbits, foxes, moles, and rural England. When not searching the local garden centres for a new plant, she is happy to relax with a good book and a hot cup of tea. She currently lives in a very active village in the Cotswolds and keeps busy knitting toys and blankets for local charities, as well as cute little mice to accompany her books. Barbara Richards was born in Panama. She has lived all over the eastern US from Iowa to Mississippi and currently lives in Charlotte, NC. She has been drawing her entire life, from messing with her father's architectural drawings, through Hunter College and then studying at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Animals have always been an important part of her life, from the farm animals in South Carolina, to the Welsh terriers she showed all over the country, to her beloved Arab horse Sheer Nonsense. Her menagerie over the years has included a lizard, a mouse, a hedgehog, a ferret, miniature horses, several dogs, and even a tiny bird that yells "shut up."With such an eclectic taste in pets, it is no surprise how much Barbara has enjoyed working on the Henry series and creating all the wonderful animals Henry meets on his travels. Barbara worked with Belk, Inc. a Charlotte department store chain producing all their fashion-related art and design products for 28 years, retiring as a Senior Designer. Since then, she's been freelancing, working on everything from designing corporate logos to creating art for T-shirts to illustrating children's books. Born in England, Sue Dockstader has worked in London and Hong Kong as a lawyer, writer, and editor, contributing to both print and online publications. Currently, she works with nonprofits strengthening their communications and fundraising activities and has fun interviewing local 'celebrities' for a community magazine. Having enjoyed guiding several authors (including her mother) through the book publishing process, she is now getting serious about her own writing projects. Sue lives in Camas, WA, with her newly retired husband and is thrilled that her two children are off the payroll with interesting careers in California and Germany.

Review

"All the animals are friendly and it's exciting to be part of Henry's adventures." Aurora, aged six
"Henry is a cute mouse and has so many nice friends."Wilder, aged eight
"I like all the animals, even when they are being silly."Liam, aged eleven
"I work in a small bookstore, and this is my favorite book to recommend for young readers."Patty Grasher, Author of Explore Vancouver, USA "What a charming bedtime read. Full of unlikely friendships and adventures." Oma (grandma) Sheryl
"I like the hedgehog best, but he's so sleepy." Walter, aged three

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