Nicholas: A Vermont Tale

To Nicholas, a small field mouse from Massachusetts, family is everything! A lovely leather journal chronicles all the important events of Nicholas’s family history. When it is destroyed in a flood, Nicholas will set off on a journey in search of his uncle and a copy of the precious journal. He crosses the state of Massachusetts in Book One, journeys to Maine (Book Two), travels through New Hampshire (Book Three), and sets off throughout Vermont (Book Four) following a cousin who has taken the copy of the journal with him.As they travel through Vermont, Nicholas and his friend Edward the chipmunk will make new friends and learn a great deal about the state—the animals that live there, the geography, industries and even the state’s history. Will Nicholas finally return home with the family journal?

Peter Arenstam was born on a farm in western Massachusetts but grew up on the coast in historic Plymouth. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and apprenticed at the Maine Maritime Museum where he became an instructor and boat builder. Currently, Peter manages the Maritime Artisans at Plimoth Plantation, where he oversees the reproduction ship Mayflower II. His writings include numerous magazine articles on nautical history and the children’s book Felix and His Mayflower II Adventures. Peter lives near the ocean in Plymouth with his wife Susan and two daughters, Hannah and Abby.Karen Busch Holman, a BFA graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is the illustrator for the Mitt and Minn mouse series. Karen’s work as an illustrator first appeared in G is for Granite, A New Hampshire Alphabet and its companion book, Primary Numbers, which solidified her career as an illustrator. She is also the creator of the art that adorns every New Hampshire Heirloom Birth Certificate. More of her work can be seen throughout New Hampshire in support of the Arts Council and in regional magazines and publications. She actively shares her love of art with many elementary school children throughout New England. Karen currently resides in central New Hampshire with her husband, Jeff, and her two sons, Tyler and Todd.