The Mushroom Man Ethel Pochocki Illustrated by Barry Moser Paperback, $7.95, ISBN 978-0-88448-278-9 9 x 10, 32 pages, color illustrations Children / Character Education; Grades 3-6

"This is a sweet, quiet story with a special message. . . ."
—School Library Journal

"Barry Moser's illustrations glow with the quiet warmth and heart of 'The Mushroom Man' and they complement so well this story of friendship."
—Eric Carle

"A little gem about true friendship that was almost lost in the great grinder that is the publishing world. Thanks to Ethel Pochocki's lovely little story, Barry Moser's ever glorious pictures, and Tilbury House for rescuing it."
—Jane Yolen, author of Owl Moon, The Devil's Arithmetic, and others

"Moser's shadowy, offbeat style harmonizes with Pochocki's uncommonly inspired text. A wonderfully odd tale of friendship."
—Publishers Weekly

There once was a man who spent his days in the dark. He worked in a mushroom farm, and people called him the mushroom man, for he even resembled the crop he tended. Children teased him on the street, but the man had been blessed with a cheerful disposition. He was, for the most part, content—but he was lonely.

In Ethel Pochocki's moving little story, the mushroom man sets out to find a companion. After a bit of trial and error, he ultimately does, in a nether world warmly illuminated by Barry Moser's shadowy but sensitive illustrations.

Ethel Pochocki is the mother of eight, and foster parent to seven cats. The author of many children's books, including The Gazebo, Maine Marmalade, Rosebud and Red Flannel, Wildflower Tea, A Penny for a Hundred, and The Mistletoe Girl and Other Christmas Stories, she makes her home in Brooks, Maine.

Barry Moser is an award-winning illustrator with over 200 books to his credit, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which won a National Book Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Design and currently serves on the faculty of the art department of Smith College. Illustrator, designer, educator, lecturer, and essayist, Mr. Moser lives in western Massachusetts with his wife Emily, four cats, and an English Mastiff. For mor about Barry: www.moser-pennyroyal.com

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