49 pages 1 hour read

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Published in 2010, Henry Cole’s A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home is an illustrated children’s historical fiction novel. The story centers around Celeste, a gentle and resourceful mouse living in a 19th-century Louisiana plantation house where the famous naturalist John James Audubon comes to stay. As Audubon embarks on his quest to paint the birds of America, Celeste finds herself on her own journey, seeking a new home and friends. The novel won the Florida Book Award, was nominated for the Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award, and explores themes of home, art, and friendship.

Citations in this study guide refer to the e-book edition released by HarperCollins in 2010.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of gun violence and the deaths of animals. In addition, the novel is set on a Louisiana plantation in the 1820s although the author does not mention slavery.

Plot Summary

Celeste the mouse lives under the floorboards of Oakley Plantation in Louisiana. She spends her time weaving beautiful baskets in a dim and musty nook. Two gray rats named Illianna and Trixie also live under the house.

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