Do you think a mouse can fly? One Christmas Carlotte Otten’’s son gave her a fly he had tied, a mouse with red and green stripes which became the inspiration for this story. Teaming up with illustrator Greg Crawford, she takes us on a journey, part real, part fantasy, into the world of fly fishing and a little mouse. In the spirit of Hemingway’’s Up in Michigan stories and Maclean’’s A River Runs Through It, Otten’’s endearing story is nice addition to the books on fly fishing for children. Readers, both adult and children, will be caught up in the intricacies of fly fishing and the little flying mouse’’s journey. What more can you ask for, adventure, colorful illustrations, lots of new and interesting information, this book has it all. The captivating text of Charlotte Otten and realistic paintings of Greg Crawford bring this story to life and whether you are the reader or are being read to, this book is a pleasure for all ages. Charlotte Otten, a life-long resident of the Great Lakes, spent summers exploring the shores. She now resides in Grand Rapids, MI. She would often wander into small streams, where she watched the hatches of bugs, fished for brook trout, listened to the sounds of the woods, and even once caught sight of a rare animal, a fisher, gently swimming under a natural bridge at a waterfall. When her son grew older and started tying flies, she enjoyed seeing a deer hair caddis, a bead head serendipity, a humpy, a frog. Her poems on fishing have appeared in many journals. She is the author of a number of books for adults and children, including January Rides the Wind, a three starred book awarded ‘‘Best Book of the Year’’ by the Bank Street College of Education and by Booklist. Greg Crawford has been an artist since he first learned to hold a crayon. He began working professionally while he was still in high school. He has enjoyed a rich and varied career that has demanded versatility. He has done everything from technical illustration to cartoons and caricatures, but he loves children’’s books. He has illustrated many over the years, including Tai Chi for Kids, Mr. Meow’’s ABC Book, and Mr. Meow Goes to the Shelter, which he wrote under the pseudonym, Mr. Meow. He also wrote and illustrated Animals in the Stars, Chinese Astrology for Children, and the upcoming Hill Farm. He also wrote and illustrated Animals in the Stars, Chinese Astrology for Children, and the upcoming Hill Farm. Greg lives in Stockbridge, Vermont.
