The Walk of the Field Mouse Text: Nadine Robert Illustrations: Valerio Vidali Hardcover with jacket 64 pages Width: 8” Height: 12” Ages: 4 to 8 Grade: P-3 Publication date: March 19, 2024 Full-color illustrations throughout ISBN 9781990252327 Price: US$20.99 CAN$24.99 Fiction Distributed in the US by Abrams and in Canada by Manda Group
A field mouse summons its inner strength in this timeless tale about taking on life’s many obstacles.
Selling points • ATOP THE MOUNTAIN: Robert was a Governor General’s Award winner in 2022, while both she and Vidali are past NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Book winners. • DYNAMIC DUO: Robert and Vidali previously collaborated on The Shadow Elephant, a Financial Times’ Best Children’s Book of 2021, which was translated into 14 languages. • DETERMINED TO SUCCEED: Inspired by The Myth of Sisyphus, the tiny protagonist’s desire to achieve its goal and silence the haters will inspire readers young and old.
Other titles by these creators The Cat, the Owl and the Fresh Fish (Nadine Robert, Sang Miao - Milky Way Picture Books, 2023), Clover (Nadine Robert, Qin Leng - Milky Way Picture Books, 2022), On the Other Side of the Forest (Nadine Robert, Gérard DuBois – Greystone Books, 2021), The Shadow Elephant (Nadine Robert, Valerio Vidali – Enchanted Lion, 2020), Hundred: What You Learn in a Lifetime (Heike Faller, Valerio Vidali - Celadon Books, 2019), The Forest (Riccardo Bozzi, Violeta Lopiz, Valerio Vidali - Enchanted Lion Books, 2018)
Rights sold Chinese (complex) — Sharp Point Press Chinese (simplified) — Dolphin Media French (world) — Saltimbanque French (North America) — Comme des géants
One morning, out for one of its usual walks, a field mouse discovers something rather unusual: a mysterious blue object sitting at the foot of a big rock. As a group of animals gather to carefully inspect the object, they realize that a robin’s egg has rolled down from its nest all the way at the top. Wondering who will roll it back up, the field mouse quickly volunteers, only to be met with laughter and mockery from its fellow animals. The field mouse, spurred on by a determination to prove them wrong, musters all of its strength to take on the Sisyphean task — but will it succeed? Nadine Robert, the founder of the publishing house Comme des géants, has always had a strong passion for illustrated children’s books that have a powerfully built narrative approach combined with strong images. She is a recent recipient of the 2022 Governor General’s Award for her story Clover, and has received Best Book of the Year honours from Kirkus and a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book award.
Valerio Vidali is an Italian illustrator, whose picture books have been adapted into over a dozen languages across several continents. One of his recent works, Hundred: What You Learn in a Lifetime has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. Vidali is also the recipient of numerous awards, including two NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Book honors in 2013 and 2018. He lives in Berlin.