Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good-particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ / the barnyard chickies swoon.”-but in the end the competition is just too stiff. Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show. A sequel, The Greatest Gift, publishes simultaneously.Ī plucky mouse finds her true home in this warm, winning tale. Delicate pencil illustrations reinforce Heartwood’s cozy home theme. Charming anthropomorphic characters, humorous mishaps, and outside threats add to the drama. As Mona secretly leaves Heartwood, she discovers marauding wolves planning to crash Heartwood’s Snow Festival and devises a daring plan to save the place she regards as home.

But when Mona accidentally breaks a rule, Tilly convinces her she will be fired.

Mona’s clever approaches with a wounded songbird, an anxious skunk, and a wayward bear win Mr. Grateful to be at Heartwood, Mona strives to prove herself despite Tilly’s unfriendly attitude. Heartwood, takes pity on homeless Mona, allowing her to stay for the fall to assist the maid, Tilly, a red squirrel. When Mona presses the heart, a door opens, and she enters the lobby of Heartwood Hotel, where small forest critters hibernate, eat, and celebrate in safety. After a storm forces her to flee her latest forest shelter, she discovers an enormous tree with a heart carved into its trunk. An orphan mouse unexpectedly arrives at Heartwood Hotel, which she hopes will become the home she’s seeking.

Heartwood hotel a true home