Gir iaremennenk ama NENGHENE re r eo a, AxOrOzZOn@! In an epic adventure like no other, an unflappable mother will stop at nothing to find a cure for her ailing young son— even if it means traveling to the moon itself. Toon 6 Tloor_-, AO Ree ae nO a Ga aOR (« FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ane KENNETH KRAEGEL Ona cold winter's eve, deep in the woods, a ‘mother shrew frets about her sick young son. His head is cold and his feet are hot, and there is only one thing that can cure him: wild honey from the moon. Mother Shrew does not stop to wonder how she will make such an impossible journey. Instead, she grabs her trusty red ‘umbrella, gives her darling son a kiss, and sets out into the unknown. Along the way, Mother Shrew encounters one obstacle after another, from a malevolent owl to a herd of restless “night mares” to an island humming with angry bees. But each proves no match for a mother on a mission. From the mind of the uniquely talented Kenneth Kraegel comes an utterly original ode to the limitlessness of maternal love. Kenneth Kraegel isa self-taught ITlustrater and the eretor of the plc- € ture books Oreen Prats The Song of Delphine, and King Arthur's Very zi Great Grandson, which was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year. Kenneth Kraegel lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. a Wild ‘Hone oe ) MG ( EELS | KENNETH KRAEGEL i (Onsale November, 2019| HC 978-0-7636-4168.2-$1799(5289 CAN Ages 4-8- pages 1G _CePI &IPI: " q ORS) nie jon Kgnneth Graegét Before I started to work on Wild Honey from the Moon, I had been writing story after story, and none of them were very good. I was writing too fast and frantically. So, to slow down, I just started drawing. I drew a forest in winter, then added some little houses in the trees. That prompted the question “Who lives in the houses?” Somehow I decided that shrews lived in the houses, and the story began there. Around the same time, my young son and I would often visit a local botanic garden and sculpture park. At the park there is a giant sculpture of a stallion (The American Horse, by Nina Akamu). It is really massive—from far away it towers over the landscape, and you can stand beneath its uplifted hoof. I imagined what it would be like to ride on such a huge horse, and Mother Shrew’s ride on the ‘Night Mare was born. In the tropical greenhouse at the same garden and sculpture park, they hatch and release butterflies in early spring. When you step in, the warm, moist air brushes against your face and sunlight pours through the glass, shining on tall palms, flowers, and foliage. Flitting high and low throughout the greenhouse are butterflies of all shapes and colors. Those first breaths of an unexpected, sumptu- ‘ous world became Butterfly Vale in my mind. The general thrust of the story, a mother’s persevering love for her child, eame from a deeper place. ‘Having sorrowed our way through a string of pregnancy losses, my wife and I were adjusting to the idea thathaving a child might not be possible for us. Then, with great joy, our son, our one-last-try, was born healthy. A new side of my wife surfaced, something I couldn’t have seen before: my wife was a mother. It animated and captivated her in a way that I didn’t expect. It was and is beautiful. Looking back, I see that Mother Shrew’s unflappability, her wit and bravery, her unwavering love, belong to my wife. Also by this Author-IIlustrator Green Pants Femesracivea.si aN "aaee asain sins abetaing ale attuned te enatinalhighsanlowsef Chthoue ane the amaang sty tel Tove Hwee anal asa andi asthesty el? Mele Tne: as eve i King Arthur Very Great Grandson Hmoamesee-sem smn “Fe Dett abr Kegel poset be redned wi ehasa ony Pyhanesce ses ct language ang and caer thes nt abasic and deadpan dees mas sting read abd This fre see he eal ‘oud als animate raed rocce atrea ‘eneringsinbishands a ago sales calcein anit asic 2 weave faze esa ‘heseabeconesatngedmasaftuerBbns” Pais ey are Thesong of Delphine FcmorneMmssimine@an Ted cates satisying gen tay ard with quiet race Thouput the nara he charac aw eng fom mas fom nature, and fmthe ines tes lene esr that wl resonate ith at as velas en Teter beastly whe nate andi arc we es lero with re snpity ade garter texted xkrop afte aa Wateolsaeapped with ese Acuity maga Petre book taiji ora abad™ — Boh sede) | 4 i" SSMS TMS OOS