‘Loud Mouse’ authors celebrate Purim at Boulder JCC

A little mouse and her big voice teach kids to be brave, even when it’s scary.

Cara Mentzel and her sister Idina Menzel celebrated Purim at the Boulder Jewish Community Center Sunday. The sisters had a sing-along of the children’s book they wrote together, “Loud Mouse.”

The book, released in September, follows a mouse named Dee who loves to sing, and her brave journey in being comfortable and confident in herself.

Menztel graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1996 and was a teacher at Foothills Elementary in Boulder for over 12 years, but she now lives in Los Angeles. Menzel has played Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway and is the voice of Elsa in “Frozen.”

Hundreds of people and their kids, and dozens of little girls dressed as Elsa, watched the sisters read and sing on stage. The sisters said that they hope kids learn to be confident.

“Sometimes being your biggest, best self sometimes means taking risks and being vulnerable. And that’s okay and you should do it anyways,” Mentzel said in an interview.

Menzel said that the books inspiration comes from her own experience as a little girl and discovering that she had a great voice. She said that she wanted to share her talent, but was hesitant of what that could mean.

“If you wanna be seen and heard, you have to be ready to really be seen and heard and that can be scary,” Menzel said.

Mentzel said that Boulder still feels like home to her. She spent most of her adult life there and her son currently attends CU Boulder.

Menzel wanted to write the book, so she approached her sister to write the book together. Mentzel is a literary specialist and has an understanding of how to use language to teach and connect. The sisters said that the book incorporates bigger words for children to learn while still being exciting and engaging.

Menzel made the jump from performing arts to visual and literary art for “Loud Mouse.” She said that the characters she played are often about people with enormous power and their journey to relinquish that power to share to the world, that resonate with people. She felt it was her responsibility to continue being that kind of role model.

And the book is about another one of those characters. Dee, the main character in the book is based on Menzel, who learns to embrace her big voice.

Menzel said that recently while cleaning her son’s bedroom, she saw the book “Where the Wild Things Are” and she remembered the lessons of imagination and creativity she learned from it. She also said that “Charlotte’s Web” taught her about friendship and grief. Mentzel said that “Charlotte’s Web” taught her that being a writer and a best friend are some of the greatest things she could be.

The sisters did a sing-along of their book after a Purim skit led by Leah Boonin and Caroline Saliman of the JCC. The skit told the story of Purim with kids from the audience picked to play out the story. Boonin and Caroline said that the story of Purim follows Queen Ester, who had to hide her Judaism to ascend to the throne, who later made the risk to reveal she was Jewish in order to stop persecution of the Jewish people in her land.

Boonin said that the skit is the “kid-friendly” version of events, but that the Book of Ester reveals a much broader story about risk, identity and bravery.

Boulder JCC Executive Direction Jonathan Lev said that 2023 is the first year Purim celebrations are big again, following pandemic lockdowns. He said that last year the event was held outside. .

“It’s fun and exciting, and all the families dress up. It’s a time of joy and celebration,” Lev said.

Lev was excited to dress in a costume for Purim he said while dressed as the Mad Hatter from “Alice in Wonderland.”

The celebration Sunday also had bouncy castles and face painting for kids, as well as a chance to buy bagels, treats and even “Loud Mouse” books. The sisters also had a book signing after their sing-along, and got to talk to families face-to-face.

Menzel and Menztel will also visit Meadowlark School in Erie and at Flagstaff Acadamy in Longmont this week to talk about “Loud Mouse.” The school visits are not open to the public.