Mole Is Not Alone
by Maya Tatsukawa (Author) Maya Tatsukawa (Illustrator)
In this cozy picture book about friendship, Mole anxiously decides to journey through underground tunnels to attend a party.
Mole is invited to a party, which is very worrisome. What if the party is too rowdy for Mole? What if Mole doesn't know anyone there? What if Mole is just too shy to make friends? Mole worries through the tunnels, around Snake's burrow, under the forest, past Bear's den, and all the way to Rabbit's door. But despite all those worries, maybe Mole can find a quiet way to make friends . . .
With warm and sweet illustrations, every page of Mole Is Not Alone is an invitation to look and look again. Readers can follow Mole's tunnel as it connects from one page to the next, learning along the way that everyone can make friends, even if some parties are quieter than others.
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Publishers Weekly
An invitation to a party at Rabbit's sets off an agony of indecision for Mole that will be familiar to any reader acquainted with social anxiety. Soft colors and ample speech bubbles by Tatasukawa (Sunday Pancakes) follow Mole's ruminations. "Maybe I will have fun," thinks Mole, lying in bed. A plan to make cream puffs takes shape, and Mole soon sets off along underground tunnels for Rabbit's, box in paw. Then worry takes over: "I never know what to say... it's always so awkward." The closer Mole gets to Rabbit's house, the more tension mounts as the twists and turns of Mole's path mirror the back and forth of the animal's resolve ("AHHHH! This was a terrible idea!"). Mole is not the only one who's reluctant to brave the gathering, however, and readers will share Mole's relief as another guest also acknowledges preferring a quieter time. Tiny touches in the spreads reward careful looking, from the neatly stored blueprints in Mole's cozy underground refuge to cutaways that reveal other animals' preparations--it's a story about anticipatory worry that ends not with forced revelry, but with a "Maybe... next time?" and gentle camaraderie found. Ages 4-8. Agent: Wendi Gu, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Oct.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
★ Soft, muted artwork depicts an utterly cozy and enchanting world. . . . Mole's self-talk is endearing and all-too relatable. Ultimately, Tatsukawa brings this tale to satisfying conclusion that lets young introverts know they can have fun on their own terms.— Kirkus, starred review
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Picture books
Forest animals
Parties
Friendship in children
Moles (Animals)
Introversion in children
Introversion
Social phobia
