Carolyn Mitchell
Riley Chester-field Mouse has acquired both a name and some friends in this 2nd book of a series chronicling the life of the little field mouse. Through the same easy-read poetry and captivating caricatures exhibited in The Tale of the Christmas Hero, the author and artist comically relate the imaginative adventures -- and misadventures -- of Riley and his friends. The tale begins on a crisp, fall morning as Riley hastens to join his friends in their newly-discovered game called football. In a flashback to the previous week, Riley recalls his disastrous introduction to the sport when he tried to interject himself into a people-boys' game and was found to be no match for a football 10 times his size! But his inventive friend, Gus, hatched a plan to scale the game down to their level, promising to bring a mouse-sized ball to their next Saturday play date. When Gus arrives at the field lugging a HUGE pumpkin, his friends scoff in disbelief until he climbs inside the pumpkin and proudly produces the perfect game ball -- a pumpkin seed! So, then, 'with walnut shells for helmets and long toenails for cleats, both teams stood ready to perform amazing football feats!!' The game and the story play out in clever detail as each mouse team scrambles to conquer the scoreboard before the hungry little Gus devours all the delicious-tasting balls! Through a delightful twist at the end of the tale, the little mice discover friendship to be the real victor in their competition. The Tale of the Pumpkin Seed Squad is a delightful commentary on competition and sportsmanship that will surely charm even the least of its budding-athlete readers.
