Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Squirrels on Skis
Illustrator: Pascal Lemaitre
Fiction
For ages 5 to 7
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013 ISBN: 978-0449810811
Fads are funny things. Without any warning they appear and then they grow and grow, and grow some more until everyone is involved in the new craze. This is what happened with the skiing squirrels. One day there was one of them swishing down the snowy hillside and then there were eighty-five of them wearing ear muffs, scarves, and “pads on their knees.” The townsfolk woke up to see that there were skiing squirrels all over the place, and soon it became clear that the little animals were going to be a huge nuisance.
The mayor called a meeting so that the people in his town could discuss their skiing squirrel problem. Stanley Powers, the “pest-control guy” was consulted and he offered to use his new “vacuum device” to take care of the problem. Christopher Lunce was appalled at this cruel suggestion, which is when Sally Sue Breeze, the reporter, spoke up. The mayor gave her twenty-four hours to find a solution to the skiing squirrel problem. After that, he would let Mr. Powers do what he was itching to do.
Beginner readers are going to love this funny story with its clever rhyming text and its engaging characters. They are going to also enjoy seeing how Sally Sue Breeze figures out what is going on and how she saves the squirrels from themselves.
