Inspiration for The Purple Ribbon came from a trip to visit my parents in southern Illinois, about 400 miles from where I live in Iowa.
A few times each year, I’d load up our black lab Sox and off we’d go to visit. Before I returned to Iowa, my dad always looked under the hood of my Toyota. And one time, what did he find? A splendid mouse nest made out of white packing peanuts and Sox’s black hair.
And it was empty.
Had the mice been in the nest when we left Iowa? Had the babies been on the nest, but not Mama? If they had been separated, how would they find their way back together?
The Purple Ribbon
From Booklist: “In sparkling prose, Moranville creates endearing mouse characters who weather life’s ups and downs to find solace in one another. From full page to spot art, Alter’s softly rendered illustrations—in watercolor, pen and ink, and colored pencil—are as charming as the story itself. A delightful tale that illuminates the importance of family.”
From the publisher: Spring, a young field mouse, gets caught in a winter storm just as she is about to have her babies. Sheltering in a rusty old car, she raises her family: Parsley Snowflake, Oak and Pubble, and frail little Jellybean. One day, the old car is taken on a trip, which leads to the children getting separated from their mother. Parsley Snowflake is a brave and clever big sister, managing to care for her younger siblings and reunite everyone at the end.
Recommended as a family lap book
Henry Holt ISBN 080506659-4