Yesterday a mom told me this story:

Her son, who is about five, won a library raffle last week.  He won exactly the thing that he had wanted: a copy of Little Mouse by Bill Montague.  And he LOVES the book, which is about a little mouse that lived with Henry David Thoreau.  In fact, he loves the book SO much that his mother took him on a field trip to Concord the other day, visiting Walden Pond and the center of town.  The trip was such a hit that they’ll be going back again soon, to find the location of Thoreau’s house at the pond.

This little boy’s mom tells me that he now talks about Mr. Thoreau, and that his interest in this part of local history has been ignited by the book.  “You never know,” she says, “what will start an interest for a child, but this book has totally started a passion for him!”

I’ll be writing a letter today to Bill Montague, the owner of the Concord Mouse Trap, to thank him again for his generous donation to the summer reading program, and to let him know what an effect that donation has had on a young reader.