Readers who love Ben & Me and other gentle, adventurous stories about animals will enjoy this lushly illustrated historical novel about a creative little mouse named Celeste and her life on a New Orleans plantation. After her peaceful existence under the floorboards is disrupted by two bossy rats and a violent housecat, Celeste finds refuge with a homesick artist, Joseph, who is helping Audubon with his famous portraits of birds. Joseph is a gentle, caring young man, and living in his pocket opens up whole new worlds to Celeste.

The black and white drawings fill the book and add to the words, much like those in Brian Selznik’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The facts about wildlife, art, and history take a simple story about displacement and friendship to a different level of interest. The mouse’s point of view, the gorgeous pictures, and the historical details make this a book to treasure. A Nest for Celeste would be a great read-aloud for first grade up, and a read-alone book for ages 8-11. ~Tegan