#399 of 1001 · September 3, 2021

If you’re hungry for a darkly playful poetic lark, look no further than Once Upon a Twice, a dramatically zany story written by Denise Doyen and illustrated by Barry Moser. While traveling warily through the night, a group of mice tries to impress upon one of their number the importance of caution. The careless mouse, Jam, ignores his elders’ warnings and remains out in the open, enjoying the nocturnal environment. After nearly being devoured by a snake, however, he develops a lifelong understanding of and respect for the threats of nature. Moser’s moody color palette delicately complements the wild rhythm and musicality of Doyen’s writing, which revels in the high nonsense of wondrously evocative neologisms such as, “scoutaprowl”, “inbetwiddle”, “riskarascal”, “whispercroon”, and many more. #once #twice #night #moon #mouse #snake #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks