[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
A squirrel declares his love for trees in general and one tree in particular. He’s so attached to his tree – and its pine cones – that he starts to worry that someone will try to take it from him. What could he do to protect his tree?
Review
The illustrations here are exceptional. I love this little squirrel! This plays out like an old cartoon – I could see it in my mind like I was watching Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. There’s one frame in particular – after a white page of text, there’s a full picture without text – that’s my absolute favorite spot in the whole book. It’s a highlight in a collection of great pages.
I found it interesting that the squirrel struggles with some grass-is-always-greener/fear-of-missing-out sorts of thoughts just when he gets his tree protected. I’m not sure the intended audience will think much about it, but adults reading along and older kids who read this themselves or who have teachers who use it in the classroom might have some fascinating discussions about what they notice and what they think is going on in the story.