Little Mole Finds Hope

PreS-Gr 1–Little Mole doesn’t “feel good inside,” and his dark burrow is a perfect metaphor for his sadness. His perceptive mother knows the remedy is not a cookie or a playmate; it’s hope. She takes him for a walk through the wintry landscape to find hope “hiding in the darkness.” A bulb, bulging from the roof of their tunnel; the bare tree branches; and a chrysalis secured to the inside of a flowerpot are all symbols of the dark place where Little Mole finds himself. But they will all, some day soon, come back to life. Daffodils, tree blossoms, and butterflies will all be dancing in the wind. Little Mole will be dancing, too. The gentle reminder that all things change is diluted a little by the winter/spring association—will Little Mole have to wait until spring to be happy again? Garland’s sweet moles are engagingly drawn and easily relatable.