• Age: 5 to 8
• Grade: k to 3

From beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes the first book in a warm and funny early-reader trilogy about a misanthropic rat and a naive owl—and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Orris the rat lives alone in an old barn surrounded by his treasures, until the day his solitude is disrupted by a sudden flutter of wings and a loud screech. A small owl has gotten caught in a trap in the barn. Can Orris “make the good and noble choice” (as the king on his prized sardine can might recommend) and rescue the owl, despite the fact that owls and rats are natural enemies? And if he does, will he be ready for the consequences? With humor and tenderness, two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo brings us this first of three tales celebrating unlikely friendship and the power of sharing stories and doing the right thing—a soon-to-be classic brought to expressive life by the full-color illustrations of Carmen Mok.

KATE DICAMILLO est l'auteure de plusieurs romans à succès pour les jeunes, dont La quête de Despereaux et Winn-Dixie, respectivement récipiendaires de la médaille Newbery et d'un honneur Newbery. Ces deux histoires touchantes ont connu un grand succès auprès des jeunes avant d'être portées au grand écran. Elle s'est par ailleurs alliée à l'illustrateur de renom Chris Van Dusen pour offrir aux lecteurs débutants une collection de petits romans irrésistibles mettant en vedette Mercy Watson, un adorable cochon. Son roman dernier roman Les aventures de Flora et Ulysse a remporté la médaille Newbery en 2014. Kate habite Minneapolis, aux États-Unis.

KATE DICAMILLO is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including The Tale of Despereaux (La quête de Despereaux), which received a Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie (Winn-Dixie), which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (L'odyssée miraculeuse d'Édouard Toulaine), winner of a Boston Globe — Horn Book Award; The Magician's Elephant (L'éléphant du magicien) and the best-selling Mercy Watson series. Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis.

Kate DiCamillo's profile page

Carmen Mok is a studio-art graduate of the University of Waterloo, and a crafts and design graduate of Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada. Her books include Waiting for Sophie by Sarah Ellis, Look at Me Now by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones, and Ride the Big Machines in Winter. She recently illustrated Grandmother’s Visit by Betty Quan, which was named an Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Picture Book Honor Title, was on the shortlist of the IODE Ontario Jean Throop Book Award and was selected for the Ontario Library Association Best Bets List. Carmen lives in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Carmen Mok's profile page

DiCamillo sets the stage for an unlikely friendship and a new early chapter-book series grounded in kindness and a love of storytelling. Her short chapters are wonderfully illustrated by Mok, whose gouache, colored pencil, and graphite artwork lend endearing details and warmth to the story. Young readers will look forward to seeing what adventures are in store for this darling duo. . . Twice a Newbery medalist, DiCamillo knows how to tap into readers' hearts, no matter their age.
—Booklist

The spirits of Frog and Toad are alive and well in this moving and funny first volume in an early reader trilogy by DiCamillo (Ferris), which chronicles the unlikely blossoming friendship between a cynical rat and a curious, naive owl. . . . DiCamillo expertly wraps humor, kindness, the courage that purpose ignites, and a love of story into a concise, welcoming package. Quiet watercolor-and-pencil scenes by Mok (Cone Dog) are rendered in shadowy nighttime grays, blacks, and browns that crisply contrast Timble’s bright plumage.
—Publishers Weekly