Review by Booklist Review
In the autumn, Squirrel finds acorns, sturdy little oak nut seeds. She eats some and digs holes in the dirt to bury the rest. Winter brings cold, and snow covers the ground, but Squirrel doesn't hibernate. Sheltering in a hole in a tree, she occasionally ventures out to search for her hidden stashes of acorns. In spring, she finds a mate, builds a nest, and gives birth to three little squirrels. The next autumn, the cycle starts again, with squirrels burying acorns that grow into oak trees that drop acorns that feed squirrels that bury acorns. . . . An appended section defines terms such as mutualism and offers factoids related to tree squirrels, which fail to recover approximately 74% of the nuts they bury, but succeed in planting a great many trees. The attractive illustrations feature soft-edge drawings, varied textures, and muted colors within well-composed scenes. Written in rhythmic, rhyming verse, the verse creates a narrative that will engage children while telling them about the intertwined lives of squirrels and oak trees. A good read-aloud choice for classrooms.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Squirrels are the unsung heroes of the forest; by burying piles of acorns that they often never find again, squirrels ensure the germination of oak seedlings. In turn, the oaks provide nourishment and shelter to future generations of squirrels. Simple rhyme explores this process with muted full-page illustrations, done in browns and greens, neatly complementing the text. Emphasizing the long-term interconnection of flora and fauna, the illustrations first depict a squirrel watching a small child finding acorns amid young oak trees and ends with a later generation squirrel watching an old man walking under the now mature trees. Young children familiar with squirrels will benefit from understanding the connection between these common creatures and the habitats in which they frolic. Further parallels between other mutually beneficial relationships found in nature can be introduced by educators after reading with little ones. VERDICT Offering stimulating information on the valuable connection between squirrels and oaks, this book is a useful introduction to early environmental lessons.-Eva Elisabeth -VonAncken, -formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This rhyming picture book tells the story of a squirrel's activities and how they relate to the creation of oak trees.A female squirrel gathers acorns in the fall, burying them beneath the ground in caches. When winter arrives, she holes up in her nest in a tree, but since squirrels do not hibernateas author Ferry informs readers in her easy stylethe squirrel emerges regularly to dig up cached acorns. In spring, baby squirrels are born into the nest, and a new generation takes over. Meanwhile, the acorns the squirrel has not dug up have the chance to germinate (the book's backmatter, "Nutty Facts," relates, among other tidbits, that 74 percent of cached acorns aren't retrieved) and grow into oak trees, thereby continuing the cycle. In this way, using a single squirrel as a focus for readers, the story delivers a larger theme of the role squirrels play in creating oak trees. Illustrator Kang's broad, soft illustrations, presented in creative perspectives, add to the story's overall feel of elapsed timesquirrel generations, seasons, and the growth of oak trees are subtly presented. This is especially emphasized by the beginning and concluding double-page spreads; the beginning shows a young white boy with a dog, the ending shows the same landscape but with an elderly white man, a different dog, and more and larger oak trees.Simple words and soft illustrations enhance a fact-based story of squirrels and oak trees. (Informational picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
