Squirrel Watching by Miriam Schlein (1992, Book, Illustrated)

Squirrels are warm, trusting they’ll get the nut offered, then they cool towards the giver as they scamper off, out-of-sight, to enjoy their goodies. Unlike this book! The warm and realistic dust-jacket photo was inviting, but the content was a cold read. Without receiving even a “nibble,” I was left hungry ... and disappointed.

Additionally, the non-vivid gloomy gray photographs only enhanced the boring narrative. I just didn’t feel any emotion from the words or pictures!

“Synopsis: Describes the many different kinds of squirrels and their behavior, including food-gathering, nesting, and the raising of young.” ----- Readers would have to know absolutely nothing about squirrels to learn the basics from this book (why I rated it 2 stars for effort & basic). Told in a clinical tone, it does little to nourish the young reader’s imagination for the intended grades 3-5 audience.

You can't judge a book by its cover, but one can tell much from its last page paragraph .....

“Plucky and inventive, they are certainly still with us. Busily burying nuts. Leaping from tree to tree. Digging in the snow. Barking out warnings. Or casually munching on some food while hanging upside down like a trapeze artist. They seem ordinary. Yet they do some extraordinary things. And they are here and there and everywhere, making it easy for you to become a squirrel watcher.”

Me, I ADORE my backyard squirrels! I’ve named them all a derivative of the official name “Jack” (in-special-recognition honor) because it is NOT their nickname for “John.” Each squirrel is unique, but all come running to me when I call out their individual names … they know that their story will have a nutty and happy ending!

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PS: Please will you squirrel-lovers email me YOUR recommendation of a GOOD squirrel read?