The Tent Mouse and The RV Mouse looks like a cute
children’s book with beautiful illustrations.
Any plans to turn it into a series?
Thank you so much! Kathrine Gutkovskiy is a very talented
illustrator, and I feel so blessed to have her on this project. Kathrine has
created two of the cutiest mice characters ever in children’s literature.
Whenever I read in classrooms, the children just love Thomas and Harvey and all
their adventures.
Kathrine and I have talked about growing the story and the
characters into a series. We were brainstorming ideas for a Halloween or
Christmas book. At this stage, we only have ideas – but ideas are where all
good stories start.
Can you tell us a little about Thomas and Harvey?
My story was inspired by Aesop’s fable “The Town Mouse and
the Country Mouse.” It was also inspired by Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of
Johnny Town-Mouse,” which also looks at two mice who prefer different things.
While these two classic stories focus on a debate between
living in a town versus living in the country, my story centers around camping.
While Thomas Tent-Mouse loves to camp in his tent where he feels connected to
nature, his cousin Harvey RV-Mouse loves to camp in his RV where he feels safe.
Adventure awaits these outdoor-loving cousins, as they learn that it’s okay to
like different things.
What inspired you when writing The Tent Mouse and The
RV Mouse?
My favorite time of the day is when I finally sit still on
the couch, my children crowed around me, reading a picture book. We delight in
the words and the images. We delight in being together. I see their eyes
sparkle, hear their laughter, feel them snuggle a little closer.
Children’s books are simply magical, and I want to be part
of that magic! I want to be among the authors whose stories I love. I want to
create new stories, dream up characters, write books worthy of snuggling on
couches.
How did you come up with the story in The Tent Mouse
and The RV Mouse?
We are avid campers, spending as much of the summer as we
can exploring nature and camping in our RV. I have noticed over the years, that
there seems to be a division between those who choose to camp in tents and
those who choose to camp in RVs. It
reminded me of “The Town Mouse and the Counry Mouse” story. The idea was
planted, and it grew into this book.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when
writing The Tent Mouse and The RV Mouse?
In the great “Tent vs. RV” debate, I didn’t want to give
more weight to one side, but wanted to present the two camping styles as
equally good options. I used to camp in
a tent when I was younger, and I have great memories from these times. I now
camp in an RV, and I love it! I’m an RV
Mouse for sure, but I didn’t want my current preference to come through in the
book. Knowing my personal biasis, I took care choosing my words so that they
did not lean one way or the other, but let the reader see the two camping
styles as simply differences of opinions, and see that it’s okay to like
different things.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I’m a starter of many projects but a finisher of few. It’s
something that drives my husband a bit crazy but keeps him entertained. Bees are a particular love of mine, and I am
currently working to turn our suburban landscape in to a pollinator garden.
Come on spring!!! Other interests include stained glass, knitting, hiking, and of
course reading. Is there anything better than a great book?
Where can readers find out more about your work?
Readers can find us online at www.KidsCampingBooks.com. We
recently developed a free downloadable Discussion & Activity Guide for
"The Tent Mouse and the RV Mouse."
Our goal was to offer teachers, parents, and homeschool parents a way to
extend the story. The guide is Common Core State Standards-Aligned and designed
for Grades K-1. It features the following:
• Pre-Reading
Discussion
• Post-Reading
Discussion
• Compare
& Contrast Foldable
• Word Games
• Instruction
Cards
• Word Cards
• Word Search
& Word Search Answers
• Common Core
State Standards Alignment