squirrels

Review: Bird & Squirrel on the Run by James Burks

| Tasha

bird and squirrel on the run

Bird & Squirrel on the Run by James Burks

Bird and Squirrel don’t exactly get along.  Bird just wants to have a good time and never worries about a thing.  Squirrel is obsessive about gathering nuts for the winter and worries constantly.  But when Squirrel’s hoard of nuts is destroyed, the two of them realize they need one another to head south for the winter.  Unfortunately, the cat has a different idea and that is having both Squirrel and Bird for lunch!  This zany graphic novel is filled with twists and turns that will have even the most reluctant readers eagerly turning the pages.

Burks takes two polar-opposite characters and in a brief story manages to bring them together as friends in a very believable way.  Throughout the book, there is silly humor, plenty of puns, and a wonderful sense of camaraderie.  The pacing is particularly well done, with small places to catch your breath before the pursuit continues.  There are always surprises waiting for the characters and the reader too.  It makes the reading all the more fun to get caught up in the unexpected.

In my advanced reader copy, the art was only completed for the first few pages in full color.  From those pages, the colors are deep and bright.  The feeling is nicely autumnal and the bright colors add to the zing of the book.  The art has a classic cartoon feel that will have readers feeling right at home.

Perfect for young reluctant readers looking for graphic novels, this book will find an eager audience.  Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic.

Book Review: Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin

| Tasha

Those_Darn_Squirrels_and_the_Cat_Next_Door

Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

This sequel to Those Darn Squirrels continues the story of the squirrels and Old Man Fookwire.  Old Man Fookwire has been waiting for spring when his beloved birds would return.  The winter has been long with only the squirrels for company (and trouble).  After a pleasant spring morning spent painting birds, Fookwire is shocked to hear kabooms coming from the house next door.  Little Old Lady Hu was moving in along with her evil cat, Muffins.  She had moved to the country so that Muffins could make some new friends, but Muffins was not a friendly cat at all, as the squirrels were about to find out.  This time the squirrels craftiness just might help out Old Man Fookwire too!

Rubin plays with words to great effect here.  Not only with the names of Fookwire and Little Old Lady Hu, but with the birds’ names: baba birds, yaba birds and the floogle bird too.  Throughout the book, the language is silly and rich, making for a great read aloud.  Rubin also has a great feel for pacing, allowing the humor really stand strong and the story to roll along merrily.  There is plenty of humor here, including the attacks of Muffins being wedgies, noogies and wet willies.

Salmieri joins in the humor with his illustrations as well.  The fine-lined illustrations have a natural silliness to them.  Old Man Fookwire has a great red nose, huge glasses, and a body that manages to be skinny and paunchy at once.  The squirrels look crafty, bright and foolish all at once. 

If you haven’t read the first book, you should, but you will be able to enjoy the second all on its own.  Get this into the hands of any kids who enjoy a brains vs. brawns match where the brains win, but you get to giggle at wedgies along the way.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

Last Song

| Tasha

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Last Song by Eric Rohmann

Marry an old Scottish poem to contemporary art and you have this beautifully simple book.  Follow the day of a squirrel family as they wake from nestling together and dash out of their tree hollow into the sun.  Smile as they wrestle together on the ground in the bright day.  Watch as the day turns to night and the moon rises.  See the stars sprinkle the sky, linger a bit, then return with them to the warm snuggles of sleep.  This book embraces the simple pleasures of life, the joy of simply being out in a sunny day and a clear night, and the brilliance of being together.  Done with a die cut cover, this book is sized in an inviting small way for little hands.

The poem is brief in itself and sprinkled throughout the book, it offers short phrases for a framework for the book.  The treat here is Rohmann and his ability to take an old poem and breathe new, modern life into it.  He also manages to make it entirely accessible for children, something that would not be possible if they just were read the poem.  Rohmann’s watercolor illustrations are deep colored and buoyant with happiness.  This is not a book that asks deep questions, rather one that basks in the small things in life.

A warm, cuddly book that would make an ideal gift for a child.  Due to its small size, it will work best with smaller groups or single children.  It would also make a great jumping-off point for discussions about the small things that matter so much in children’s lives.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Also featured on 7 Imp.

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Waiting for Winter

| Tasha

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

As my son waited for the bus this morning, he asked when the snow was going to come.  Here in Wisconsin in mid-November that is a very good question and the answer is “very soon.” 

In this charmer of a picture book, Squirrel is told by Deer that it is going to snow.  Squirrel hasn’t seen snow before, so he decides to wait for it.  Deer explains that snow is “White and wet and cold and soft.”  But it is very hard to stay awake, so Squirrel runs up and down the tree trunk.  The noise wakes Hedgehog who agrees that he wants to see snow too.  The two of them stay awake by singing – sea shanties.  This wakes up Bear who waits with them for the snow.  But what is snow has already arrived and they haven’t recognized it?  So the three look around for items that match Deer’s description of snow with very funny results.  In the end, they learn exactly what snow looks like.

Meschenmoser excels at telling a story through few words and wonderfully evocative illustrations.  Just the appearance of the animals themselves shows how very tired they are.  The close-up of Bear’s face after he is woken up perfectly captures the grumpiness and bleariness of that moment.  All of the animals are wonderfully scruffy and real.  Hedgehog always has leaves and other objects stuck in his spines, and Squirrels wild fur carries a lot of his frantic pace even when still. 

The voice of the book is also right on the mark.  Told with great excitement and delight, the tone conveys their wonder at being able to see snow even before they have caught a single glimpse of it.  Meschenmoser’s pacing also works very well, filled with just enough tension but also forward movement.

A perfect choice for this time of year when snow would be met with cheers and joy by all of us who are waiting for winter.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Fuse #8 and Through the Looking Glass.

Acorns Everywhere!

| Tasha

 

Acorns Everywhere! by Kevin Sherry

The author of I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean returns with a new character that toddlers are sure to adore. 

Squirrels are running around gathering acorns as quickly as they can and this orange squirrel is doing the same.  Surrounded by so many acorns, he realizes that he has to hide them, gather them, dig and bury them.  He does, taking them right out of the paws of mice and the beaks of birds.  He almost gets in the way of a bear reaching for berries.  Then his stomach starts to growl.  But… where did he put all of the acorns? 

Done in Sherry’s signature wide-lined illustrations and large blocks of color, the pictures have a child-like feeling and cartoony style.   Sherry mixes in photographs of acorns and berries to great effect.  His words are simple and even sparse, allowing the bulk of the story to be told through the pictures. 

Toddlers will be drawn to the illustrations and will find a book that they themselves can “read” after only a few readings with adults.  This orange squirrel is sure to become a beloved fall fixture in story times for toddlers.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Leaf Trouble

| Tasha

Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church

Pip, the squirrel,  lives in an oak tree and knows that tree very well.  But something has been happening so slowly that he never noticed: the leaves have changed color and are starting to fall off!  Pip runs around and tries to catch all of the leaves, he and his sister gather them into a big pile, and then they try to reattach some.  That doesn’t work, of course, but his mother appears then and explains about the tree needing to rest over the winter.  She then explains that the leaves are like the setting sun each evening, disappearing but returning in the morning.  The book ends with the young squirrels comparing the reds and yellows of the leaves with the colors of the sunset.

I have read many picture books over the years about children and animals panicking when leaves start to fall from the trees.  But this one deserves a spot on your library shelves because of the intelligent tie-in with the setting sun.  Children will immediately understand the connection to something they experience each and every day.

Emmett has written this in a voice that should be read aloud.  His prose has depth, humor and a nice cadence.  The first paragraph of the book is inviting, clever, and sets the tone nicely for the rest to come.  Church’s illustrations are perfect for the seasonal tone of the book.  Done with paper art, they are filled with tumbling bright-colored leaves that have a dimension and shadow to them.  They will work well with a large group of children because of their size and color.  

A great combination of author and illustrator, this autumnal title will have you falling for it immediately.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.