KidsBuzz

Douglas K. MacDonald

Dear Librarians,

This is a lot more than just a bilingual book. It's a story that rivals Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer for appealing to any child that likes to see a neglected underdog become a champ.

The hero is a stowaway mouse that overcomes fierce wind and cold to save a reindeer. The sight of the mouse dangling in mid-air on the reins of the sleigh is a heart-throbbing one.

Santa here is not patriarchal, but warm and a little bumbling. Ultimately the mouse gets its due reward, but can't quite figure out who the funny man with the beard is.

With our burgeoning Hispanic population, bilingual books are becoming more suitable for public libraries. The number of Hispanic children 0-17 in the USA grew by 4.8 million (39%) between 2000 and 2010. The projected US percentage of Hispanic children 0-17 by 2019 is 25.5% and climbing.

Just to produce bilingual books is not enough. We need them to have the same quality as other books or better. I have put my heart and soul into this book. It has warmth; it has love; it has a good plot that moves from challenge to crisis to resolution to fulfillment.

Email flwrmac@hotmail.com to enter to win a free copy.

Doug MacDonald
THE MOUSE THAT SAVED CHRISTMAS