Adventures of Pig and Mouse: An Unusual Friendship: An Unusual Friendship

Pig isn't like most pigs. She doesn't like to roll in the mud or get dirty. She likes to watch birds and butterflies. She likes to sing and make up stories. She's a daydreamer. Mouse is a vagabond, always moving to keep safe. When events bring them together, an unlikely friendship forms as they bond over their first adventure: treasure hunting!

Pig and Mouse formed an unusual friendship, but maybe it's not unusal at all. If you've ever witnessed a connection between two species, say, a dog and a cat, or a cat and a bird, you already know animals are capable of feeling love and empathy just like we can. Pig and Mouse's friendship highlights the value of empathy and that differences in size and appearance do not matter. The author invites you to share the story of Pig and Mouse with your children as the touchstone to an important conversation about diversity, empathy, and what's truly important.

The inspiration for Pig and Mouse's first adventure was author Kelly Lenihan's own childhood love of collecting treasures from nature: rocks, seed pods, leaf skeletons, feathers, abandoned bird nests, shells, etc. Often, these collections were started on the fly during a trip to the beach or a hike in the woods. Her kids even contributed to her "science museum" throughout their own childhoods. Now that they're grown, the collections have been condensed into a large curio cabinet in the author's living room. She still adds the occasional rock, seed pod or feather -- her eyes never stop seeking. To this day, Kelly enjoys examining her collections and showing visitors her latest acquisitions -- the thrill never truly goes away!

Like Kelly, kids are drawn to natural items and collecting is a great activity that will help your child to develop important life skills, expand their horizons, and learn about categorizing, sorting and observing. Encouraging collecting -- or enjoying your child's collecting impulse -- can be fun for the whole family. Did you have a collection as a child? Maybe it's time to start that up again!