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, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

Cynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.

Reviews

[Lorellie]

Cottagecore fantasy for Tots. We love it. I hope the library has more.

[Nathan Meier]

The mouses are adorable! The story is simple but sweet, like a pastry.

[Becky]

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]

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.

[Beverly]

A sweet, simple story with no hint of conflict. Fortunately, the owl family does not eat the mouse bakers--they simply want pillow tarts so their owlets will finally go to sleep. Super appealing illustrations of adorable mice and owls.

[Kathryn]

Super cute! Even though my youngest is ten-years-old, I well remember those bleary days when they were wee and the nights were long and generally sleepless. So, Mr. Owl, I feel you! If only Pillow Tarts worked on human babies ;-)

[Autumn]

adorable!

[Beth]

SO CUTE