In her first picture book, America’s beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo
reunites with Bagram Ibatoulline to offer readers an unforgettable holiday gift.

It is just before Christmas when an organ grinder and monkey appear on
the street corner outside Frances’s apartment. Frances can see them from
her window and, sometimes, when it’s quiet, she can hear their music. In fact, Frances can’t stop thinking about them, especially after she sees the man and his monkey sleeping outside on the cold street at midnight. When the day of the Christmas pageant arrives, and it’s Frances’s turn to
speak, everyone waits silently. But all Frances can think about is the organ grinder’s sad eyes — until, just in time, she finds the perfect words to
share. Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo pairs once again with acclaimed
artist Bagram Ibatoulline as she presents a timeless story of compassion
and joy.

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Kate DiCamillo is the author of THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, winner of a BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award; THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, winner of the Newbery Medal; BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, a Newbery Honor winner; THE TIGER RISING, a National Book Award Finalist; and four books starring Mercy Watson, including a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book. She lives in Minneapolis.

Bagram Ibatoulline is the illustrator of THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, as well as THE SERPENT CAME TO GLOUCESTER by M. T. Anderson, HANA IN THE TIME OF THE TULIPS by Deborah Noyes, THE ANIMAL HEDGE by Paul Fleischman, THE NIGHTINGALE retold by Stephen Mitchell, and CROSSING by Philip Booth. He lives in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania.

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