About the Holiday

Lace up a pair of skates and get rollin’! October is National Roller Skating Month! Sponsored by the Roller Skating Association, the holiday encourages kids and adults to enjoy one of America’s favorite pastimes. Whether you just like to get from here to there faster than walking or love mastering fancy moves, roller skating is a wonderful way to get outside for some fun exercise. Or head for the roller rink and spend time with friends. This year’s theme is #WhyISk8. To learn more about this annual event and how you can participate, visit the Roller Skating Association website.

One Shoe Two Shoes

Written by Caryl Hart | Illustrated by Edward Underwood

It’s time for the doggy to go for a walk, but his human is missing “one shoe.” Where is it? Doggy has it! With “two shoes” the man and the puppy go into town. They see lots of people wearing “two shoes.” There are colorful shoes, “old shoes, new shoes, on their way to school shoes.” In fact, there are so many kinds of shoes, even a pair—oh, no! Watch out!—with “long laces tied in knots.”

Image copyright Edward Underwood, 2019, text copyright Caryl Hart, 2019. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Now, you know “two shoes make a pair,” but… do you see? “Who’s that hiding there?” A curly tail’s just a hint of the two tiny mice who’ve “made a house in someone’s shoe!” A shoe makes a perfect house for a mouse… or two… or three… or even four?! Wait a minute, there’s even more! A shoe box fits all ten mice. They scramble in; it is quite nice. But who is watching all the fun and sees the pink, curly tail sticking out?

Image copyright Edward Underwood, 2019, text copyright Caryl Hart, 2019. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

The doggy comes to investigate. He sniffs and licks. The mice all “SCATTER!” Doggy stretches with a job well done and thinks it’s time for a reward. Again he fetches his human’s shoe, and they’re off for another walk. What do the mice do while the doggy’s away? It’s “time to play. Hooray!”

Image copyright Edward Underwood, 2019, text copyright Caryl Hart, 2019. Courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

It’s never been as fun to play hide and squeak and count to ten as in Caryl Hart’s One Shoe Two Shoes, where ten silly mice make homes in all sorts of shoes. Hart’s infectious rhymes will have little ones in stitches as they play along with an alert doggy who has his eye on the mice as they run from shoe to shoe to find just the right “fit.” The jaunty story gives adults and kids lots to talk about, from different kinds of shoes to colors to patterns and, of course, there’s plenty of opportunities to count. Mice lovers may sympathize when the tiny mice are rousted from their box, but they’ll cheer when the mice get to celebrate in perhaps the best shoes of all—roller skates. And dog lovers? They’ll be happy to see that the doggy gets not one, but two walks!

The shoe extravaganza begins on the endpapers, where 68 shoes of all types are waiting to be paired up. Moving inside, Edward Underwood’s bold, oversized pages introduce kids to a frisky doggy who wants to get outside. In keeping with the text, Underwood’s images focus on the walking feet of passersby. These vibrant illustrations allow readers to talk about clothing and, especially, socks and shoes. When the doggy gets back home, little ones will delight in helping him spy the first curly pink tail and will eagerly point out the rest of the mice scampering and hiding here and there. Touches of humor will have little ones giggling, and repeated colors and patterns give them opportunities to reinforce and show their knowledge of these concepts. 

A joyful book that’s fun to read aloud, One Shoe Two Shoes would be a charming addition to home, classroom, and public library shelves.

Ages 3 – 6

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1547600946

Discover more about Caryl Hart and her books on her website.

You can find One Shoe Two Shoes at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

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