When a girl named Mouse feels lonesome on a cold, dreary evening, she wonders whether others feel lonely, too. In hopes that it will help, she lights a lantern with her mother's help and sets it on her doorstep.
What follows is a heartening chain reaction: Sam notice and feels cheered by Mouse's lantern and lights his own, which in turn inspires Harriet whose candle brightens the day for Oliver, and so on. With each new light, illustrator Anuska Allepuz adds more warm colors to the previously cold landscape, a reflection of the fresh energy spreading through the community.
Written for readers ages three to six, this simple story conveys that "One light had made all the difference." Author Christie Matheson, who writes and illustrates acclaimed books for kids like Plant the Tiny Seed and Shelter, says that "grown-ups are welcome to read them, too!" So don't hesitate to brighten the holidays of anyone of any age with this reminder that our lights — one by one by one — shine more brightly together.
