Ol’ Mama Squirrel
by David Ezra Stein
What it's all about . . .
Ol’ Mama Squirrel has raised lots of babies, and she knows just how to protect them. With a stern, “Chook, chook, chook!” she manages to keep intruders of all kinds out of her tree and away from her brood. But when a great, growling grizzly comes sniffing around, Ol’ Mama calls in reinforcements.
Why it's on The Little Crooked Bookshelf . . .
We love that the only “sap” in this entertaining take on a tale of parental devotion is in Ol’ Mama Squirrel’s tree. Without any of the usual clichés, Stein’s tiny but formidable heroine proves there’s nothing stronger than a Mama’s love for her babies.
Our favorite lines . . .
“Mama Squirrel did not limit herself to known predators. She scolded kites… chook chook chook! And airplanes… chook chook chook! She even scolded the man who came to prune the tree. Chook chook chook!”
Our favorite illustration . . .
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| Ol Mama Squirrel Copyright © 2013 by David Ezra Stein. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, NY |
Why kids will love it . . .
Stein has a gift for creating totally expressive characters with a few brilliant brushstrokes. No doubt, kids will cheer and giggle as Ol’ Mama Squirrel scowls and chook-chook-chooks unwanted guests out of her tree.
Why grown-ups will love it . . .
Parents are sure to recognize and appreciate scrappy Mama Squirrel’s tenacity in protecting her babies. Plus, Stein’s pitch-perfect pacing and rousing refrains make for a lively read-aloud.
And there's a giveaway!
Add a comment or tell us what other books featuring squirrels you’ve enjoyed. We’ll choose one comment at random to receive a copy of Ol’ Mama Squirrel courtesy of our friends at Barrington Books! Giveaway winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 1st.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER: JDSPERO!
We love the Gruffalo Squirrel! I have to check out this book. Sounds very cute! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteOh, we are huge fans of Miss Suzy, which is so old the cover is falling off. It's about a little squirrel who is chased out of her treehouse by mean red squirrels and finds refuge in a dollhouse in an attic. She befriends an army of toy soldiers, who fight the red squirrels to get her home back. My mom saved it from my childhood collection, and it's now a standard read in the Spero house. In fact, every time we see a squirrel, we call her Miss Suzy (which caused some confusion when the boys met my department chair named Miss Susie...LOL)! "I love to clean, I love to bake, I love to make my acorn cake!" Thank you for the trip down memory lane...
ReplyDeleteHi jdspero, just wanted to let you know you are our winner! Congrats!
Delete-Mr. P.
My father-in-law has had a love/hate relationship with squirrels for as long as anyone can remember. Because of this we are are always on the lookout for anything squirrel related (squirrel shaped nutcracker, stuffed toy squirrels, etc) One day I happened upon THOSE DARN SQUIRRELS by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri. There are two other books in the series
ReplyDeleteCan't decide between Pumpkin Soup, Delicious! or A Pipkin of Pepper, all by Helen Cooper.
ReplyDeleteI've been a huge fan of Brian Jacques' Redwall series for around 10 years now. He has a couple of novels featuring squirrels as the main characters, but I have to say that Rakkety Tam is the best of the squirrel novels. Long story short, it features Rakkety Tam, with his friends and the hares from Salamandastron, in his attempt to fight off Gulo the Savage. The whole series is very captivating and has kept me as a fan ever since I picked up my first book in the series.
ReplyDeleteOk... it's time to pull a name out of Mr. Pig's fedora. And the winner of the Ol' Mama Squirrel book giveaway is... *drumroll*.... jdspero!! Please message us with your mailing address and we will send you your book! As always, thanks for reading and commenting! For those of you who have commented a few weeks in a row... thank YOU, too. Please keep visiting the Cottage and chiming in when there is a giveaway! Odds are in your favor!
ReplyDeleteChook chook! I love the baby squirrel holding (steering?) to Mama's ears!
ReplyDelete