The Walk of the Field Mouse - excerpt

The Walk of the Field Mouse story by Nadine Robert art by Valerio Vidali

The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

—Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

The Walk of the Field Mouse Text copyright © 2024 Nadine Robert Illustration copyright © 2024 Valerio Vidali Copyright © Milky Way Picture Books All rights reserved.

Art direction by Nadine Robert Book design by Jolin Masson Proofreading by Nick Frost The illustrations in this book were created digitally.

This edition published in 2024 by Milky Way Picture Books, an imprint of Comme des géants inc. Varennes, Quebec, Canada.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written consent of the publisher or a license The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright).

For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

Library and Archives Canada cataloguing in publication Title: The walk of the field mouse / Nadine Robert; illustrations, Valerio Vidali.

Names: Robert, Nadine, author. | Vidali, Valerio, 1983- illustrator.

Identifiers: Canadiana 20230054595 | ISBN 9781990252327 (hardcover) Classification: LCC PS8635.O2235 W35 2024 | DDC jC813/.6—dc23 ISBN: 978-1-990252-32-7 Printed and bound in China Milky Way Picture Books 38 Sainte-Anne Street Varennes, QC J3X 1R5 Canada www.milkywaypicturebooks.com

We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.

We gratefully acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada.

The Walk of the Field Mouse story by Nadine Robert art by Valerio Vidali

Once, there was a field mouse who loved taking walks.

Especially walks to the big rock.

On this morning, an unusual round, blue object was lying at the foot of the rock.

Intrigued, the toad, the snail, and the starling had gathered around it.

“That’s the robin’s egg,” said the toad.

“It probably rolled down the rock,” remarked the snail.

“The robin’s nest is all the way at the top.”

“My, oh my! How will the robin roll its egg back up to its nest?” asked the starling.

“I can do it,” claimed the field mouse, approaching.

“I will roll it back up to the robin’s nest.”

“But you’re much too small and weak to take on such a task!”

“Maybe we should find the groundhog. Surely, it would be strong enough,” said the toad.

“Good idea! There’s no way the field mouse can do this,” said the snail, laughing.

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One morning, out for one of its usual walks, a field mouse discovers something rather unusual: a mysterious blue object that has rolled down from the top of a big rock.

Wondering who will roll it back up, the field mouse quickly volunteers, only to be met with laughter and mockery from its fellow animals.

Spurred on by a determination to prove them wrong, the field mouse musters all of its strength to take on the Sisyphean task — but will it succeed?

ISBN 978-1-990252-32-7 U.S. $20.99 Can. $24.99 52099