Manuelo, The Playing Mantis

One warm summer evening, a lonely praying mantis named Manuelo listens to the music of an outdoor concert. Manuelo wishes that he, too, could make music like the crickets and the katydids. But the instruments he makes don’t play. Then Manuelo meets someone who shows him how to fashion a cello using a walnut shell, a stick, and a special ingredient. Manuelo makes his first true friend and, together, they create the music they both love. Written and illustrated with the gentle humor of Don Freeman’s best work, Manuelo is a story that will take its place on bookshelves beside Dandelion, Beady Bear, and Corduroy.