The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins (The Geraldine Woolkins Series)

We're going to meet the Woolkins family and many other creatures who live in the woods... Most of us remember the song about the indoor mice who ran up the clock and got scared when the clock's loud Bong rang! But living in the woods is much more dangerous...the Woolkins family calls them Adventures! Interestingly, this book has both adventures actually happening to the Woolkins family and they also read from the Book of Tales, which has been in their family for many years. Think of this book something like a book of fairy tales, but with actual action stories added as they happen. There are 143 pages in this book, so you can plan on reading a story at bed time when your children are younger. And then they can read the whole book as they grow older.It is Christian-oriented, but God is represented by The very, very big hands which is an easy way to begin to teach children, don't you think?Geraldine is the main character--her family of mother and father and a brother named Button. Both parents are constantly involved with teaching their children since this is their first year and have much to learn. Geraldine has already started to enjoy her father's reading stories from a very large book. Today's selection is "The Miracle of the Shrouded Pepper Plant." Already Geraldine is wanting to learn to read herself but is told that will come...in time...Geraldine and Button are encouraged to go outside and play, but they also help with gathering food for the winter. Acorns, berries and many other supplies are gathered by every member of the family and maintained in an underground storage area. Although they are ground animals, Geraldine, who is a new mouse, has bird friends and the family has even made friends with a fox named Quinton, a rabbit who has lost his way from his parents so is living nearby the Woolkins family and a lovely elder mouse who visits with them as often as she can. Readers get to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family!Button was becoming very brave, wanting to do new things, while Geraldine was beginning to see that adventure always ended in some kind of perilBut then she saw the beautiful snow for the first time and even was willing to learn how to go sledding with Button...but there was always danger as well... Can you image having to run away from large Ravens who could see you dark against the white snow?! But you know what, little by little Geraldine realized that she could think through what to do, and she could ask Very, Very Big Hands, no matter where she was and learn to depend on Him. After all, He had send her friends when she was in trouble and quickly learned to trust! But she still didn't understand what her father meant when he told her she had gotten herself into a pickle!I really enjoyed viewing the world from a mouse's viewpoint! You know, having a chance to speak directly to Very, Very Big Hands is a wonderful way to be!GABixlerReviewsEbook provided free for review

My whole family loved this book (kids from ages 4-10)! We read a chapter a night at bedtime and no one could wait to hear what happened next. I really appreciated that while the story is continuous, each chapter wrapped up nicely for the most part so nothing was left hanging for the next night. We couldn't wait to read the rest of the series.

As a trained writer/ illustrator of children’s literature, and also a theologian, I quite enjoyed this book, but did notice a few things that could be better. The cover illustration was delightful! However, the illustrations at the head of each chapter were dull and lifeless and look like they are computer-generated. This original and charming book deserves much better illustrations.A story about a woodland mouse could easily have become cliched, but instead the story had fresh, unexpected turns in it. I also enjoyed the “stories within the story” that the papa mouse read to his family. The one about lost mice hiding under a bell pepper frost cap was quite original.I wasn’t aware this was a Christian-oriented book until about halfway through. At first I thought the inclusion of a G-d concept was a little, well, heavy-handed for a children’s book (no pun intended). On reflection, however, I think this aspect of the story fills an important need, as children are actually very curious about G-d, and the book provides a good format for children to explore that, and for parents and children to have that conversation. I also appreciated that the G-d concept presented here is actually quite ecumenical. Interestingly, even though the Woolkins family celebrates Christmas in the book, the holiday was presented more as a winter custom, and didn’t have any theology attached to it, which i think was wise.I also like that the book is designed for readers of all ages. That’s not easy to pull off, but the author did a good job. I’m 67 myself, and enjoyed having something fun and uplifting to read before bed! (I’m so tired of the heavy, depressing novels that are in style right now.) And I certainly would have read this to my daughter when she was young.All in all, I found this book to be fresh, calming and sweet, yet it also had good, appropriate substance injected with a light , graceful touch.In particular, it modeled kindness and sensitivity toward one’s neighbors even if they are different from us... a universal value, not just a Christian one.

Gentle (yet with moments of adventure), heart-warming chapters... this is a book for reading aloud to preschoolers/early elementary, for older children to read to themselves, and for adults to enjoy as a relaxing bedtime read.Geraldine and her brother Button are "new" mice, and despite their parents' best teaching, sometimes they learn lessons the hard way. Geraldine longs to be brave, but she's such a small creature... how can she do anything daring? In her adventures, she learns to recognize the brave things she does, and to see the advantages of her size and abilities. She also learns to trust "Very Big Hands," the mouse name for God.

I read this charming book back in 2018, when my kids were quite young, but I never got around to posting the review. Back then, I had read it aloud to my kids, known on my blog as La Niña and El Niño, and they both enjoyed it thoroughly. Before long, they had become the characters, La Niña was Geraldine, and El Niño was Button, and by extension, I was Lily and the Husband was Nigel.Geraldine Woolkins is a little mouse who lives with her father Nigel, mother Lily and brother Button in a hole in a tree. In time she learns the importance of remembering the lessons from her past. Her parents teach her to enjoy nature in all its forms.Geraldine wants to be brave. But she is small and quivering. A dreaded fox, Quinton Thrasher turns into her protector for the kindness shown by her father to him, a reminder that no good deed goes unrewarded.There isn’t a real plot. But things happen, and the characters do what they do. The Book of Tales is their wise book from which lessons are taught and passed on. The book contains stories of other animals that Geraldine and Button can learn from.So many useful lessons within its pages. This is good advice for little mice and little humans too. How the paths we walk have been made by mice who lived before us and how we should learn from older folk and their experience. How you can’t know everything at once, knowledge takes time. There are other lessons about not clinging to the past or chasing after the future. Lessons that could be easily extrapolated to the human condition.And what an endearing name for God, Very Very Big Hands, who can hold the world together and still care for the wellbeing of very very small mice.When I read aloud that Geraldine’s mother wiped her hand on a leaf, La Niña said, in awe, “She has so many handkerchiefs,” unwittingly learning a lesson about the abundance in nature. Both kids talked about how it felt to have this book read aloud to them, like being enveloped in love and comfort.There are lessons everywhere and Nigel and Lily are wise parents, using the Book and every opportunity to share their values. This book is a treat for young kids.

This is the sequel (on picture) and both of these Geraldine Woolkins books are wonderful. I read them in bed before I go to sleep and find them both peaceful and encouraging. I use them, as I said, for bedtime stories and I'm 65! They are wonderful for children too. My copy of More Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins is illustrated too. Really look forward to reading the new book when it comes out.

What a wonderful book!I was trying to find suitable books for my 7 year old daughter and came across this. As soon as she finished this book, we bought the second book which was also fantastic. Thank you to the author for these treasures, we highly recommend them. We are also going to buy the audio so we can listen to it in the car on long drives. Thank you.

What a totally charming story, I loved it. Perfect for young and old alike...gentle yet exciting. It is so descriptive! So much so, I wanted to be in the Woolkins little house; curled up in front of their pine cone fire, enjoying mama Woolkins homemade soup.This is a delightful story, filled with life lessons. Perfect to read to a little one at bedtime. I would love to read it to my grandson when he's older.I can see this becoming a school favourite, a great story to read to a class of children. And a great book for any school library.The cover is adorable, and expresses the story perfectly.What can I say, I loved it!!