While older sister, Anastasia, struggles to write a commemorative poem, Sam collects samples of his mother's favorite smells to invent his own original perfume. Ingredients range from Dad's pipe and chicken soup to yeast and the odor of little babies. But when he blends them together in a grape jar, the concoction, for some reason, smells terrible and begins to fester. Yingtao is hopeless on the violin, but his new friend Matthew would rather play music than sports. So the two boys cook up a plan to make everyone happy.
Imagination is a strong, positive force in childhood.
When her teacher announces that the class will be doing the play Peter Pan, Grace knows the part she wants. Raj tells her. Caroline Binch's radiant watercolors introduce us to an unforgettable child who will incite listeners to go for their goals, too. Folklore is a good way to introduce children to universal themes and ideas. Wisdom comes from seeing the whole,'' is the mouse moral we humans would do well to recall.