More

2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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I.C. Springman

Springman is another author who prefers anonymity.  She has published two books of the Quiet Rooms Trilogy, To Iceland with Love and It's All Greek to Me. Unfortunately, there is little online biographical information, but she did provide an entry at Smashwords.com,

"I.C. Springman is an absolute nobody with an interest in real-world economics and power elite studies. Springman's work is rooted in the belief that an understanding of global financial arrangements and their impact on ordinary people in every walk of life is the first step toward altering those arrangements for the benefit of everybody everywhere.

No matter what they tell you - another world is possible."

Brian Lies

Lies (1963 - ) was a political cartoonist when Houghton Mifflin asked him to illustrate Eth Clifford's Flatfoot Fox series in the 90s. His own series, Little Bat, is highly regarded with Little Bat at the Library featured on the October, 2008 Martha Stewart Cooking School.

Lies wrote and illustrated Rough Patch, a 2019 Caldecott Honor Book looking at loss and hope from a child's point of view. In addition to illustrating numerous children's books, Lies draws for the children's magazines Spider, Ladybug, and Babybug.

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Book Synopsis

Mouse gives a single marble to his sad friend, the magpie. But when his friend begins to collect too much stuff mouse tries to warn magpie. Unfortunately, magpie's nest becomes so full the branch cracks from the tree and magpie's things tumble to the ground. What happens next is all about sharing and finding "enough."

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Picture book, 40 pages.  When is more than enough?  One magpie and a mischief of mice with lots and lots of stuff learn that less is more.

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"If you overwhelm a child with stuff - with choices and pseudochoices - before they are ready, they will only know one emotional gesture: "More!""

Simplicity Parenting, Payne

Learning Options

Family Read Aloud Time
More is one of those read alouds which is really a look aloud book -- the pictures tell the story! Take time with your child to examine each illustration, to comment on what the magpie is carrying and how the mouse responds. It's simply stunning how much children will see.

Classroom Resource
More is on par with books by Mo Willems, Eric Carle or David Shannon for circle time in preschool and the primary grades. The narrative vocabulary provides a simple introduction to the concept of synonyms.

Learning at Home
There are many ways to incorporate More in learning at home: vocabulary work, art, small animal or bird study, character development.  If you are of the morning basket persuasion, More is an excellent book for children learning to read. Even little ones can practice their observation skills with a game of "I Spy."

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