• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

In this fourth volume of the beloved "Happy the Pocket Mouse" picture book series, Happy and his human friend John debate as to where their next adventure should take them. John suggests a walk through the forest or a visit to the museum, but these are too lacklustre for Happy's thirst for excitement. When Happy then proposes a grand vacation to the likes of New York or Paris, John reasons that those places are too expensive and that they will have to compromise. Happy then suggests a camping trip in New Zealand, but John contends that it is too far away. "Why am I the only one compromising here?" Happy questions. In the end, Happy and John embark on an overnight bus trip to the seaport to view the majestic Tall Ships, and Happy is enthralled by these "ghosts of the past." Andrea Torrey Balsara brings to life the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramids, and other exotic locales with 32 pages of brilliant, full-colour illustrations.

Philip Roy continues to travel back and forth between Nova Scotia and Ontario, keeping residence in both places. For some half-dozen years now, he has been presenting orally a series of stories at local schools, fairs, and markets called “Happy the Pocket Mouse.” The first of the series, Mouse Tales, illustrated by Andrea Torrey Balsara, will be released by Ronsdale Press in spring 2014. This series of picture books complements Philip’s “Submarine Outlaw” series for young adults, which is now up to volume six. Recently he travelled to Australia to research the materials for the next book in the series, Eco Warrior, to appear in the fall of 2014. Travelling makes for great adventure, Philip contends. The only thing better is writing about it and visiting schools and libraries to share the stories with young readers. Visit Philip Roy’s website at www.philiproy.ca

Philip Roy's profile page

Andrea Torrey Balsara has illustrated her own stories for children as well as numerous books by other storytellers. She lives in Bowmanville, Ontario. Visit www.torreybalsara.com.

Andrea Torrey Balsara's profile page