Owlets and Tarts: Ready-to-Read Level 2

Mouse and Spoon

by Cynthia Rylant, Janna Mattia (illustrator)

The baker mice soothe owlets to sleep in the second book in the Mouse and Spoon Level 2 Ready-to-Read series from Newbery Medal winner and author of the Henry and Mudge series, Cynthia Rylant!

Mom and Dad Owl are exhausted—their three little owlets refuse to go to sleep. They need pillow tarts for their babies, and quickly! Will Ginger, Tom, and Piper at the Mouse and Spoon Bakery be able to help?

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

An author of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children and young adults as well as an author and author/illustrator of picture books for children, Cynthia Rylant is recognized as a gifted writer who has contributed memorably to several genres of juvenile literature. A prolific author who often bases her works on her own background, especially on her childhood in the West Virginia mountains, she is the creator of contemporary novels and historical fiction for young adults, middle-grade fiction and fantasy, lyrical prose poems, beginning readers, collections of short stories, volumes of poetry and verse, books of prayers and blessings, two autobiographies, and a biography of three well-known children's writers; several volumes of the author's fiction and picture books are published in series, including the popular "Henry and Mudge" easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog.

Rylant is perhaps most well known as a novelist. Characteristically, she portrays introspective, compassionate young people who live in rural settings or in small towns and who tend to be set apart from their peers.

from bookrags.com

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: On Littleton Street in a little town, three little mice had a bakery. Ginger was the oldest, Tom was the youngest, and Piper was right in the middle. Their shop was called the Mouse and Spoon bakery.

Premise/plot: Owl parents are desperate for some sleep--they have three owlets at home. The mice at Mouse and Spoon know just what to do to solve the problem....

My thoughts: Could this book be any more precious? any more adorable? I absolutely love, love, love the illustrations. ADORABLE and delightful. The story is good, pleasant, enjoyable. But it's the illustrations that make this one so joyful. This is the second book, I believe, in a new series by Cynthia Rylant. I've LOVED some of her books in the past. Though this is the second book in the series, it was the first my library had available.

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kid Lit powerhouse Rylant debuts a new reader series.
Three little mice run a bakery for animals of all sizes.
In this entry they are tasked with pillow tarts for a sleep-deprived owl family.
Adorable, with just the right amount of whimsy.

[Autumn (Triquetra Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO CUTE