Mouse and Mole, A Winter Wonderland by Wong Yee (classic books for 11 year olds .TXT) 📕

Mouse and Mole

A Winter Wonderland

Wong Herbert Yee

MOUSE AND MOLE

A Winter Wonderland

WONG HERBERT YEE

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

BOSTON NEW YORK 2010

To Margaret Raymo,

an editor for all seasons

Copyright © 2010 by Wong Herbert Yee

All rights reserved. For information about permission

to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions,

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,

215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children is an imprint of

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

www.hmhbooks.com

The text of this book is set in Adobe Caslon.

The illustrations are litho pencil and gouache.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file.

ISBN 978-0-547-34152-1

Manufactured in China

LEO 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

4500229134

Contents

Snug as a Bug

Sno-Mole

The New Friend

Sno-Mouse

Snug as a Bug

Mouse gazed out the window.

A snowflake drifted past.

Then another ...

and another. Soon, it was

snowing like mad!

"Yippee!" yelped Mouse.

She rummaged through her closet.

Mouse pulled on snow pants.

Mouse tugged on

new boots: thup, thup!

She yanked a

hat over her ears.

She tied a scarf

around her neck.

Mouse buttoned her warm winter coat.

"Whew!" she exclaimed. "I am as snug

as a bug in a rug!" Mouse grabbed

mittens and rushed out the door.

Mole snuggled under the blankets.

"Bed is the place to be on

a day like this," he sighed.

"I am as snug as a bug in a rug!"

TAP-TAP-TAP.

Mole heard someone knocking.

He tugged the pillow over his ears.

TAP-TAP-TAP.

Mole still heard knocking.

"Open up, Mole. It's me,

Mouse!" called Mouse.

"Rats!" muttered Mole.

He rolled out of bed like a cocoon,

still wrapped in his blankets.

Thump, thump, thump! hopped

Mole across the floor.

He opened the door a crack—

whoosh! A gust of frosty air

nipped his snout.

"Morning, Mole!" said Mouse.

"Morning, Mouse," grumped Mole.

"Whatever are you doing out

on a day like this?"

"There is fresh-fallen snow!"

exclaimed Mouse.

"The trees are trimmed

with icicles. The bushes are

frosted like cupcakes.

It is a winter wonderland!"

she sighed.

"Your being out on a day like this makes

me wonder about you," Mole scolded.

"If you are not careful, Mouse,

you will turn into a Mouse-cicle!"

"Do not be silly, Mole. I am wearing

snow pants and a scarf. I have on

my hat and mittens too!"

"Your mittens do

not match," said Mole.

Mouse stuffed her paws

in her pockets.

"These are new boots," Mouse continued.

"This is my warmest winter coat."

Whoosh! Another gust of wind sent a chill

through Mole. "It is still f-f-freezing,"

he chattered. "Bed is the place to be—

bed is the place for you and me!"

"But what about sledding?"

squeaked Mouse. "What about

snowmen and skating on the pond?"

"What about getting back

to bed?" grumbled Mole.

And that is exactly what he did!

Sno-Mole

ZOOM! Mouse shot down the hill

on her sled. The sled hit a bump.

It flew up in the air.

"Yippee!" yelped Mouse.

"Bumping-jumping on a sled,

better here than stuck in bed!"

Mouse sighed. "Sledding is fun,"

she said, "but it would be more

fun if Mole were here."

She headed for the pond.

Mouse laced up her skates.

Left, right, left, right!

Mouse skated across the ice.

Mouse whirled!

Mouse twirled!

She made perfect figure eights,

forward and backwards.

"Across the ice I zip and glide,

better here than stuck inside!"

Mouse sighed. "Skating is fun,"

she said, "but it would be more

fun if Mole were here."

Mouse took off her skates.

Mouse dragged the sled back to

the oak. She stared at the tracks

in the snow. They were all from

her boots. "I am alone; alone is me."

Mouse made a snowball: pat-pat-pat!

She threw it against the trunk—

SPLAT! "Hmm, not too wet

and not too dry."

ZIP!

Mouse tapped her boot.

Mouse twirled her tail.

She came up with a plan!

It began with another ball of snow.

Mouse rolled it around the oak.

The snowball got bigger...

and BIGGER.

Mouse pushed it on the sled.

Then she went to work on the middle.

Push and roll, roll and push!

Mouse set the middle part on

top of the bottom part.

"Whew!" she huffed.

"Now for the head."

Plink! Mouse knocked an icicle

off the branch with a twig.

"Just the thing for a nose,"

she proclaimed. Crack! Mouse

snapped the twig in two.

"Now I have arms as well!"

Mouse used acorns for eyes and

pebbles to make a mouth.

She took a step backwards.

The snowman looked familiar.

The snowman reminded Mouse

of someone she knew. "I shall call

you Sno-Mole," she snickered,

"because you look just

like my friend!"

Mouse tapped her boot.

Mouse twirled her tail.

Something was still missing.

She headed back to the oak tree.

Mouse crept down the stairs ...

and snuck into Mole's hole.

She rummaged through Mole's closet.

"Mole does not need a hat," whispered

Mouse to herself. "He does not need

his scarf or mittens either."

She tiptoed back outside.

Mouse put the hat on the snowman's head.

Mouse wrapped the scarf around

the snowman's neck. She stuck

mittens on the twigs.

Mouse looked at Sno-Mole.

Sno-Mole looked at Mouse.

"What about sledding?"

she squeaked,

"or skating on the pond?"

Mouse ducked behind the snowman.

"Bumping-jumping on a sled?

What if I should lose my head?

Skating is something I would not miss.

Skating would be perfect on a

day like this!" sang Sno-Mole.

And that is exactly

what they did!

The New Friend

Mole huddled under the covers.

He was as snug as a bug in a rug.

Mole rolled to his