{"id":239,"date":"2025-12-11T19:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/?p=239"},"modified":"2025-12-11T19:28:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:28:10","slug":"introducing-willa-mouse-and-the-longest-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/?p=239","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Willa Mouse and the Longest Night"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-791x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-241\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.7725025865041959;width:305px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-791x1024.png 791w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-232x300.png 232w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-768x994.png 768w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-1187x1536.png 1187w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-9x12.png 9w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story-600x777.png 600w, https:\/\/wildravenlearning.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Willa-Mouse-and-the-Longest-Night-A-Solstice-Story.png 1545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Winter has always lived in my imagination more than in my memory. I grew up in Southern California where the seasons shift in quiet, subtle ways. The air cools a little. The light changes tone. Trees rest without a dramatic show of snow. Because of this, stories were the place where I learned about winter nights, glowing candles, and the hush of a cold landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year was the first time I experienced a true winter. Snow falling in soft layers. Frost on every branch. The way the world glitters under a pale morning sky. There is something deeply stirring about witnessing these changes for the first time as an adult. They asked me to slow down, to pay attention, and to learn winter as if it were a new language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of that wonder came <em>Willa Mouse and the Longest Night<\/em>, a gentle solstice tale about a small white mouse who listens closely to the turning of the season. Willa lives in a warm burrow tucked beneath winter grasses. She is curious and thoughtful, and she feels the pull of the longest night with both excitement and uncertainty. Her journey through the quiet forest helped me explore my own experience of meeting winter for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing this story felt like walking into something special. I wanted to capture the way winter light settles softly over everything. I wanted to share the feeling of stepping outside into fresh snow and hearing how the world changes its voice. Even though I did not grow up with winter, I have grown into it with fresh eyes. Willa\u2019s story reflects this sense of discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Willa Mouse and the Longest Night<\/em> is also an invitation for families to welcome the solstice with curiosity and kindness. It invites us all to sit with the darkness and celebrate the return of the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope this tale becomes a small ritual for families during the winter season. A warm drink, a shared story, and a reminder that even the quietest nights hold room for hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for being part of this creative journey. I am grateful to share Willa\u2019s world with you and to step together into the beauty of the longest night. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter has always lived in my imagination more than in my memory. I grew up in Southern California where the seasons shift in quiet, subtle ways. The air cools a little. The light changes tone. Trees rest without a dramatic show of snow. 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