Halloween, pride 

Roger is listening carefully backstage. The auditorium is packed. Three more lines, then two, then one, and he's on! Roger the mouse has a very important role in the school Halloween play, even if it is the smallest part. He and his classmates have practiced for days to get all their moves just right. And tonight they'll reap the rewards with their runaway success. For those who have waited nervously behind the stage curtain, counting the lines leading up to their cue, this book is a must. Sweet, simple, and so true, it captures the taut emotions of a schoolchild preparing for public appearance, and the wild release of a job well done. Felicia Bond, illustrator of such favorites as If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Give a Pig a Pancake, uses minimal text on each page. Her adorable, warmly colored illustrations of the tiny, earnest ghosts and wizards speak louder than words, and, along with the play's audience, young readers will laugh when they're "supposed to" and applaud madly for this smash sensation. Forget Broadway: a star is born right here! (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter