Beneath the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s recent Oscars event lies the central point of it all—it is a recognition of creative excellence. And the point should never be missed that most, if not every award given has roots in some written work. I don’t know the statistics but I would venture that few “Best Picture” Oscars exist where a “Best Screenplay” did not precede it.
So then, is it true that all of the best creative work in the land was recognized and celebrated at the Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011? If you’re not sure, I have definitive proof that it is not so. I offer a local, little book as my evidence—Handsome Bill: Adventures in the Desert.
Written by Edith Nettleton and illustrated by Carole Peterson Dwinell, Handsome Bill: Adventures in the Desert is officially listed under the Juvenile Fiction category, although parents will enjoy reading it just as much as their kids. It’s a warm and friendly tale about a little house mouse named Handsome Bill who goes on a wondrous adventure into the desert with his mouse-friend, Cactus Joe.
Staying in his own tiny mouse hole in a big house, Handsome Bill is cared for by Ben and Sally, two children who leave bits of food for Handsome Bill each day. They’ve even provided him with some cozy rags to sleep in. Handsome Bill lives a pretty comfortable life, at least as far as mice go, but it’s soon time for Handsome Bill to learn a bit about how other mice live.
Handsome Bill is paid a visit by his out-of-doors mouse-friend, Cactus Joe, who convinces Handsome Bill to join him on a trip to his home out in the desert. Cactus Joe lives in an all together different mouse-house—one located, not in a house, but in a saguaro cactus.
On their way to Cactus Joe’s, handsome Bill encounters a world he didn’t know existed. He learns that he can wet his whistle by nibbling on a prickly pear cactus and that he and other animals can find water in the desert in little “wells” dug by coyotes. While Handsome Bill encounters some amazing things and beautiful sights in the desert, he really has a lot to learn too, because amongst those amazing things are all kinds of creatures that have mice on their diet lists! Handsome Bill (and readers) learn all about desert life. There are rattlesnakes, coyotes, scorpions and owls; gilded flickers, tarantulas, turkey vulture, grasshopper mice and more.
Author Edith Neddleton, a long time docent at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, California, has masterfully woven a treasure trove of educational material into an imagination-sparking, fun and lively story for children of all ages. Neddleton’s artful prose is perfectly framed by the superb illustrations rendered by Carole Peterson Dwinell. The book is a perfect blend on images and imagery that leaves one hungry for a, “Part two: The Further Adventures of…”
Handsome Bill: Adventures in the Desert is a parent’s (and educator’s) dream of a book because it educates in the most effective way possible—it is just plain fun to read!
It is sure to become a favorite of children everywhere.
Leave a Reply