Iqaluit (July 07/03) - They are quite sociable and popular for creatures that live in holes in the ground.

The whimsical adventures of The Mole Sisters, written by Roslyn Schwartz, have been popularized on television recently and have really struck a chord with children.

Joshua Chemko, 3, and Patrick Evans, 5, meet and greet the Mole Sisters. The sisters have travelled to libraries all over Canada. - Kathleen Lippa/NNSL photo

Last week the Iqaluit Public Library invited the Mole Sisters to sit in on some book readings and craft sessions.

"They are really low maintenance guests," joked librarian Tori-Ann Evans, looking at the Mole Sisters seated in chairs and flanked by a large 'Welcome to Iqaluit' sign.

About 55 kids and parents attended the event, which is part of a national tour.

There are eight Mole Sisters books in all and Evans read from a few of them, including the Rainy Day.

"We sure get a lot of those days, don't we," Evans said, inspiring a rousing "Yes" from the crowd.

But what do The Mole Sisters' do? Often called "relentlessly optimistic" in book reviews, the sisters turn the rain around. Sure, their outdoor plans may be ruined, but instead they build an indoor oasis, complete with a swimming pool, in their leaky hole.

Local kids sat surprisingly quiet for the tales of good times made out of less-than-perfect situations.

Interestingly, the sisters' tales are not wild or all that exciting by today's cartoon standards.

But the minutia of the sister's lives and struggles -- getting lost in a field of wheat, for example, or coping with the weather -- was enough to delight the audience, who later drew mole-inspired pictures and constructed colourful paper flowers with tissue paper and pipecleaners.

The Mole Sisters, who have a busy touring schedule, even stuck around for Canada Day activities in Iqaluit.