COEUR d’ALENE — Families attending the Holiday Sing-Along with Mudgy & Santa not only had the chance to enjoy the music and take photos with Mudgy, Millie and St. Nick. There was another surprise waiting for them.

Every child attending — 160 in all — received a copy of her newest book, “Mudgy & Millie Adventures: Costa Rica” courtesy of the event sponsor, Columbia Bank, and thanks to Innovia, the Library Foundation, and private donors.

The book is the third in the series featuring Coeur d’Alene’s favorite moose and mouse. “Mudgy & Millie,” published in 2008, told the story of the pair playing hide-and-seek in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The second was “Mudgy & Millie Adventures: Australia,” which found them launching a balloon from Tubbs Hill to visit the Land Down Under to learn about boomerangs and the culture and wildlife of Australia.

All of the books are illustrated by Charles Reasoner, and Susan Nipp has assigned all royalties for the books and related plush animals to the Library Foundation.

The author, and her husband, Charlie Nipp have also previously given copies of her books to the youngest students in local schools. She explains the giveaways are part of why the “Mudgy & Millie” books were created — early childhood literacy.

“We know that children need to have books in the home to create a passion for reading,” she said. “And it is especially important that they have books of their own.”

The new book, in which Mudgy and Millie meet and make music with the birds and animals of Costa Rica, was made available in stores Saturday, including Second Story Books at the library.