Picture Book: Mole's in Love by David Bedford

Story Summary of Mole’s in Love: 

Morris, the mole, enthusiastically peeps out of his hole.  Yippee! It’s spring.   Morris is ready to find someone to love.   He doesn’t see well though.  To find a mate, he decides to look for similar physical qualities as his own.   First, he resolves to find an animal with “luscious shiny black fur.”  Finding it, he instantly falls in love!  Unfortunately, Morris has not found another mole, but rather a large black horse—that quickly knocks him into a pile of leaves.  No one comes to see if Morris is all right, making him feel glum.   The smell of colorful spring flowers cheers him up and prods him on.  Next, he decides to look for a “pretty pink nose.”  Once again, Morris thinks he is in love as he hugs the pretty pink nose. The nose belongs to a pig—that pushes Morris away, landing him in some mud!  Nobody comes to see if he is all right, so he feels sad.  The sound of birds singing makes him joyful again.  He continues his search to find someone to love.  This time, he decides to look for “gorgeous big wide feet.” He comes across a pair, falling in love again. Unluckily, the feet belong to a white duck—that tickles Morris with his feathers, resulting in him falling on a sharp thistle.  Nobody comes to see if he is all right.   Downtrodden, Morris goes back to his molehill, where he contemplates all the qualities he has sought.  He does not understand why he has not found love yet.  Suddenly, he hears a tiny voice, “You have not looked hard enough!” Someone reaches over, gives him a present, and asks if he is all right. Morris isn’t looking for love anymore.  Love has found him…in the form of a sweet female mole.

Evaluation:

Morris the mole is absolutely precious!  The illustrations are wonderful.  Mole’s in Love is a perfect Valentine’s Day story.  First, it celebrates spring.  Children can discuss the signs of spring illustrated in the book as well as other ones.  Also, this book could accompany a unit on farms or animals.  Moles are interesting animals to study or to research.  They can cause havoc on farms or yards though.  There are some opportunities for making predictions.  As Morris comes across each physical characteristic, only a part of the animals is shown.  Younger students can predict (using the descriptive words, pictures, or both) what type of animal he finds.  Of course, the topic of love can be discussed—what does it mean to love someone (parents, siblings, friends), how can we show love, what types of characteristics do animals or people look for in a mate, and so forth.   Other possible motifs are friendship and helping others.