Gregory and Alexander

There once was a fine young mouse named Gregory. He lived in Perambulator Park, surviving mostly on seeds and breadcrumbs and bits of cheese he found under the picnic tables. Gregory made his home in a tiny hole at the bottom of an extremely large tree. His best friend Al the caterpillar lived nearby on the leaves of a milkweed plant. Gregory is a mouse and Al is a caterpillar. The two are the closest of friends, sharing everything until one day Al tucks himself into a blanket and doesn't come out. Gregory is sad at the loss of his friend. Even his dreams of flying a kite are no distraction until, one day, Al returns, transformed, bringing with him confirmation of their friendship and the fulfillment of Gregory's dream. William Barringer (1940-1996) was a journalist, a folksinger, an actor, a golfer and a children's author. He once acted with the young Jack Nicholson in a TV drama. For a time he was the youngest pro golfer in Canada. One of his heroes was Jimmy Olsen, reporter for the Daily Planet and friend of Superman. He was at ease in the realm of the imagination, the realm where Gregory and Alexander takes place, a story about two small creatures whose love for one another transcends change and loss. The author shared his story with illustrator Kim LaFave in the early nineties and Kim was drawn to it then. He could visualize the mouse and the caterpillar instantly, but the book was not to be at that time. Kim was thrilled when Gregory and Alexander came through his mail slot a decade later. With his characteristic warmth and simplicity, he painted the story in acrylics on watercolor paper. Kim LaFave has also illustrated Big Ben by Sarah Ellis and We'll All Go Flying by Richard Thompson and Maggie Spicer (both Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2002).Barringer, William is the author of 'Gregory and Alexander' with ISBN 9781551432526 and ISBN 1551432528.