FICTION

Merry Christmas, Squirrels!

by Nancy ROSE
Merry Christmas, Squirrels! photos by Nancy Rose. 32p. Little, Brown/Megan Tingley Bks. Oct. 2015. Tr $17. ISBN 9780316302579. LC 2015003705.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—When Mr. Peanuts the squirrel receives an invitation to visit for Christmas from his cousin, he immediately packs his suitcase with plenty of hand-knitted Christmas sweaters, hops in his convertible, and zooms through the snow to Cousin Squirrel's house. The two squirrels enjoy a hazelnut latte, go sledding, and open presents—peanuts, of course. What raises this book above the pedestrian are the more than 25 carefully composed photographs, depicting real squirrels and tiny, squirrel-size props, many of them hand-made (teeny knit sweaters, teeny snowshoes made of twigs).
VERDICT The sharply focused, detailed photos of a frisky-tailed, big-eyed squirrel nosing curiously about adorably small objects will captivate kids, even if the text is nothing special.
Reviewed by Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
It's Mr. Peanuts's turn to visit Cousin Squirrel in this Christmas-themed follow-up to The Secret Life of Squirrels. Once again, a bland and conflict-free story plays second fiddle to the appealing (if odd) art: a back page explains that there is no digital manipulation in the vivid color photographs of real squirrels engaging with dollhouse-scale props arranged, and often created, by Rose.
 , Oct 01, 2015

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