Yee - Mouse and Mole, Fine Feathered Friends

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MOUSE AND MOLE FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS W ONG H ERBERT Y EE H OUGHTON M IFFLIN B OOKS FOR C HILDREN
H OUGHTON M IFFLIN H ARCOURT
B OSTON N EW Y ORK 2009 For bird lovers, young and old Copyright 2009 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. 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
Yee, Wong Herbert.
Mouse and Mole, fine feathered, friends / by Wong Herbert Yee.
p. cm.
"Houghton Mifflin Books for Children."
Summary: When spring arrives, Mole and Mouse find a unique way to bird watch.
ISBN 978-0-547-15222-6
[1. 2. 2.

BirdsFiction.
3. MiceFiction. 4. Moles (Animals)Fiction.
5. SpringFiction.] I. Meanwhile ...
Mouse peeked
behind boxes. Meanwhile ...
Mouse peeked
behind boxes.

Mouse peered
inside bags. "Aha!" Mouse cried. She yanked her
backpack off the top shelf. Mouse put a sketchpad in the big pocket.
She stuffed crayons
in the little pocket.
TAP-TAP-TAP.
Mouse heard
someone knocking.
She opened the door a crackwhoosh!
A gust of wind blew it wide open.
"My, what a blustery day!" she squeaked.
Mouse tied a bonnet
on her head. WHAM! "Morning, Mouse!" said Mole.
"All set to work on our bird books?"
"I packed my sketchpad and crayons,"
said Mouse. "I have binoculars, too!
Where should we look first?" Mole rubbed his snout.
"Birds hide in bushes," he said.
"Let's try the huckleberry." Mouse looked to her left.
Mole looked to his right.

There were no birds in sight.
"Come out, come out, wherever
you are!" Mouse sang.
"Quiet!" shushed Mole.
"Birds nest in trees,"
he whispered.
"Let's check
under the pines." SHH! Mole peered up at the branches.
"A pine siskin!" Mole pointed.
Mouse looked through
her binoculars.
She did not see a pine siskin.
Mouse giggled.
"That is a pine-cone."
Mole climbed
the tree to get it. "Spring is about starting anew,"
he chuckled. "I am starting
a new pinecone collection!"
Mole stuffed the
pinecone in his pack.
"Where to now?"
Mouse wondered.
"Birds need water," said Mole.
"Let's go by the pond."
Whoosh! A gust of wind blew
Mole's hat off.
He ran to pick it up. "A catbird!" Mole pointed.
Mouse looked through her binoculars.
She did not see a catbird.
"Do not be silly, Mole.
Those are cat-tails!"
Mouse plucked a daisy.
She stuck it in her bonnet. "April showers bring
May flowers!"
Mouse sang. and closer ... Critch-CRUNCH!
Mole stepped on a dried leaf. Critch-CRUNCH!
Mole stepped on a dried leaf.

CRUNCH PER-CHICK-O-REE The cardinal flew away.
"Rats!" muttered Mole.
He blew into the other end
of the whistle:
Per-chick-o-ree! it called.
Somewhere a bird sang:
Per-chick-o-ree! Mouse spotted a
small yellow bird
in the grass.
"A goldfinch!"
whispered Mouse.
Mole got out his yellow crayon.
They crept closer ... and closer...
Crick-CRACK!
Mole stepped on a twig.
The goldfinch flew away.
"Double rats!"
muttered Mole. CRICK-CRACK He found another
whistle in his pack.
Mole blew into the end:
Queedle-queedle! it called.
Somewhere a bird sang:
Queedle-queedle!
Mouse spotted a large blue bird in
the oak. "A blue jay!" whispered Mouse.
Mole got out his blue crayon.
They crept closer ... and closer...
Splish-SPLASH!
Mole stepped in a puddle.
The blue jay flew away. "Birds must
be afraid of mice! How will we ever
get close enough to draw them?"
Mouse just shook her head.
Mole sat down on the stoop.
Mouse twirled her tail.
"Birds may be afraid
of mice," Mouse began,
"or maybe they're
afraid of moles...
But, birds are not
afraid of birds!" Mouse told Mole her plan.
"That is a crazy idea!" chuckled Mole.
"Shall we begin in the morning?"
Mouse suggested.
"In the morning,
we begin," agreed Mole.
WHOOSH! A huge gust
of wind blew Mole's
hat into the tree. MOLEBIRD AND MOUSEBIRD It was still dark when Mouse knocked
on Mole's door: TAP-TAP-TAP.
"Morning, Mole," said Mouse.

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