Sophie Mouse discovers a giant paw print in Pine Needle Grove—and follows it right into a bear’s den—in the ninth charming book of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse series!

While Sophie and her friends are exploring Sassafras Alley, they come across a huge paw print. They have seen paw prints before, but they’ve never seen one this big! What sort of animal could have made such a giant paw print? As the friends go on an adventure to find out, they are in for a great, big surprise!

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Adventures of Sophie Mouse chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Excerpt

The Great Big Paw Print

Stolen Apples
It was a Monday afternoon and school had just let out in Pine Needle Grove. Sophie Mouse and her little brother, Winston, ran together to their mother’s bakery.

They knew that right around this time, Mrs. Mouse would have just baked something delicious. They also knew that she would let them try it!

And they were right. Mrs. Mouse gave a warm apple fritter to both Sophie and Winston.

“Thank you kids for coming to help out today,” Mrs. Mouse told them. “There’s always so much to do to get ready for winter!”

Every fall Mrs. Mouse stocked up on ingredients to bake with over the winter. Already she had canned her summer fruits: strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and plums.

But she still had lots of autumn fruits and vegetables to preserve: apples and pears, cranberries and beets, pumpkins and pomegranates. So she had asked Sophie and Winston for help. They could wash and peel and get everything ready.

“Can we come every day this week?” Winston asked, taking a bite of fritter.

Sophie smiled. She could guess why her brother wanted to come to the bakery every day!

“That would be a huge help,” Mrs. Mouse said, winking at Sophie.

So every day that week, Sophie and Winston hurried to the bakery just as soon as school let out.

Before they got to work, they’d sit on stools at the counter. Mrs. Mouse would serve them a treat fresh from the oven. And Sophie and Winston would tell her about their day.

On Tuesday, Mrs. Mouse made cranberry tarts. Sophie nibbled as she explained that her day was okay.

“It was supposed to be library day,” Sophie said. “But Mrs. Wise said the library is closed. It needs some kind of ‘emergency fix-up.’”

“Hmm,” said Mrs. Mouse. “I hadn’t heard. I wonder what happened.”

On Wednesday, Mrs. Mouse served up pumpkin spice scones.

Meanwhile, Winston gabbed about the secret code he and his friend James were making up and a strange rustling he’d heard in the woods near the school. Sophie told Winston he was probably just imagining it.

On Thursday, Mrs. Mouse gave Sophie and Winston cinnamon doughnuts.

“Tomorrow is Apple Math Day!” Winston announced to his mother.

“We each bring in a couple of apples,” explained Sophie. “We’ll sort them by color. We’ll graph how many there are of each color. And then we’ll taste them all!”

About The Author

Poppy Green

Poppy Green can talk to animals! Unfortunately, they never talk back to her. So she started writing in order to imagine what they might say and do when humans aren’t watching. Poppy lives on the edge of the woods in Connecticut, where her backyard is often a playground for all kinds of wildlife: birds, rabbits, squirrels, voles, skunks, deer, and the occasional wild turkey.

About The Illustrator

Jennifer A. Bell

Jennifer A. Bell is an illustrator whose work can be found in greeting cards, magazines, and more than forty children’s books. She studied fine art at the Columbus College of Art and Design and spent many years designing seasonal giftware and greeting cards before becoming a children’s book illustrator. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.