Snake!

It's a story! It's a poem!

A helpful little snake. Smart cows. Busy mice. A foolish farmer.

Cows are in their barn., waiting to be fed some corn. But there are mice in the corn, eating it up. A little milksnake is also in the barn, and she knows exactly what to do, to get rid of the mice, and keep the cows happy. But the farmer sees the snake, and doesn't understand that the snake is a friend of the farmer as well as his cows. So the farmer goes after the snake, who escapes, leaving the mice in the corn, along with some very unhappy cows.

Sara Swan Miller, author of many wonderful books for children, shows us that there are surprises and important lessons in nature, if we look hard enough. This delightful book, with great illustrations by Abby Liscum, is a story in the form of a poem, and it's one that you can sing, if you know the tune to Turkey In The Straw. And just in case readers don't know that tune, they or their friends or their grown-ups can play it from some pages inside the book.

Sara Swan Miller, who passed away in 2020, lived for many years on a ridge in upstate New York, where she was the mother of two children and four stepchildren. She was a graduate of Vassar College, and received an MA in early childhood education from SUNY New Paltz. She had careers as a Montessori teacher, and as an outdoor environmental educator, before she assumed full-time writing. Sara was the author of more than 70 books for children. Among her best known works are "Three Stories You Can Read To Your Dog" and "Three Stories You Can Read To Your Cat", plus their sequels. And for children who aren't lucky enough to have pets, there is "Three Stories You Can Read To Your Teddy Bear". Some books that have been published since Sara's passing are: "Oh, Cats of Camp Rabbitbone", "At The Rabbitbone Restaurant", "Turkeys On The Train", and "I Hate M.y Stepsister! (a love story)". Besides other fiction works, there are many science-related books, especially the Animals In Order series. Sara had the ability to capture the language of children and also to imagine the "language" of animals. Her works are often very funny. Abby Liscum is a graphic designer from upstate New York. She graduated from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia with a focus in illustration and animation. She was awarded the Alan Koss Senior Portfolio Award in Graphic and Interactive Design for Motion. Her past work includes creating graphics for several grassroots activist organizations, and she enjoys experimenting with different forms of design.