By: Natalie Brooks

Great children’s stories often begin with curiosity. For Donna Dalton, curiosity showed up unexpectedly, in the shadow of one of the famous landmarks in the world.

While visiting Paris with her family, Donna noticed something unusual near the Eiffel Tower. Mice. Small, quick, and completely unfazed by the tourists around them. The image stayed with her long after the trip ended. It became the seed of an idea that would quietly wait for decades.

That idea would eventually grow into Two Mice in New York: A Holiday Adventure, part of a children’s book series that blends travel, culture, and emotional intelligence into playful storytelling.

Letting an Idea Mature

Donna did not rush into writing. Life moved forward with a demanding career in education, family responsibilities, and the everyday pace of real life.

For more than twenty-five years, the idea of writing a book about adventurous mice lived in her mind. It never disappeared, even when there was no time to act on it.

Retirement changed that.

After forty years as an educator, Donna found herself missing the daily connection with students. Teaching had always been about more than lessons. It was about engagement, encouragement, and discovery. Writing children’s books became a natural extension of that calling.

Building Characters With Purpose

Azura and Afrodille are not accidental creations. They are curious by design.

In Two Mice in New York, the two French mice arrive in the city during the most energetic time of year. The holidays. Their journey is playful, but every step is intentional.

Donna wanted young readers to experience New York not just as a place, but as a feeling. The movement. The noise. The magic. The sense that something important is always happening just around the corner.

Through the mice’s eyes, children encounter Thanksgiving parades, glowing holiday displays, religious traditions, and iconic landmarks, all without being told what to think.

Why Multiple Holidays Matter

New York offered something Donna felt was essential for young readers. Coexistence.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve appear side by side in the story. None overshadow the others. Each is treated as part of the city’s rhythm.

For Donna, this was not about teaching holidays. It was about modeling respect and curiosity. Children see that celebration can take many forms, and that shared spaces can hold many traditions at once.

The city becomes a place where differences are not obstacles, but textures.

Learning Disguised as Story

Donna’s background as an educator shapes the book in subtle ways. Skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and communication are woven into the plot rather than explained outright.

When Azura and Afrodille face a challenge, they do not solve it alone. They ask for help. They listen. They adapt.

Frankie the subway rat and his rat pack play a key role in this process. They are problem solvers, collaborators, and unlikely heroes. Together, the characters demonstrate how teamwork can unlock solutions that individual effort cannot.

Children absorb these lessons naturally, through story and character, not instruction.

A City That Moves the Plot

New York is not just scenery. It shapes the action.

Donna chose locations she knows personally, including Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center. These places matter because they feel real, grounded in lived experience.

One moment that deeply influenced the book was Donna’s own experience watching the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting in person. After years of seeing it on television, being there transformed it from spectacle into memory.

That emotional shift shows up in the book. The landmarks are not just famous. They are meaningful.

Writing for Readers Who Have Not Been There Yet

Not every child reading Two Mice in New York has traveled. Donna understands that.

The book offers access without requiring experience. For children who have visited New York, the story feels familiar and exciting. For those who have not, it opens a door.

Donna has heard from families whose children became eager to visit the city after reading the book. That response suggests her goal. To spark imagination and curiosity, not just recognition.

Beyond a Single Book

The New York adventure is part of a broader vision.

Azura and Afrodille have traveled far beyond Paris and Manhattan. London, Africa, Ireland, Italy, and the Bahamas are all part of their growing world.

Each destination brings new cultural touchpoints and new emotional lessons. The series encourages young readers to see the world as something to explore thoughtfully and joyfully.

Donna also supports educators and families through companion activities available on her website, designed to align with classroom goals and student skill development.

A New Chapter, Same Purpose

For Donna, writing children’s books is not a second career. It is a continuation.

The same desire to inspire, guide, and connect now lives on the page instead of the classroom. The format has changed, but the mission has not.

Two Mice in New York: A Holiday Adventure reflects patience, experience, and a belief that learning works best when it feels like discovery.

Sometimes the effective ideas do not demand immediate action. They wait until the timing is right.

Donna listened when the moment finally arrived.

Discover more about Donna Dalton, her journey as an author, and the Two Mice series at 2-mice.com.