Nuts to You

Might have been just another animal adventure, but I adored the 'meta' aspect, especially in the illustrations. And I loved that the humans weren't evil, and the squirrels were able to figure that out. And pretty much the animals were themselves, not furry little humans; sure they were more intelligent than we generally think of them being, but [b:Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?|30231743|Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?|Frans de Waal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490975607l/30231743._SY75_.jpg|46521432].

"discussion topic: is a sleeping bobcat 'cute?' Why or why not? Also: does 'z-z-z-z-z' really sound like snoring? If not, what letters would be better?"

"hairy* show more woodpecker.... [footnote]*Not an adjective. A species." show less

Adorable story told from the point of view of the squirrels. Really great message about the environment and how vital trees are to all of us (humans included). Full of humor - a orphaned squirrel, trying to describe how her family got "flattened" to squirrels who knew the forest only..."it would be like getting in the way of a huge boulder rolling down a hill. You would be smashed. Flattened. It happens fairly often because they move so fast, you cant get out of their way. They come out of nowhere and, BAM." "Crikey," said Jed. I loved the humor in this book.

Occasionally, I read a book that begs to be read aloud. This week when I picked up “Nuts to You”, I knew from the very first page of the author’s note that this book was going to be added to my list of recommendations for good read alouds! “Nuts” is a short chapter book aimed at grades 3 - 7 but children as young as 4 -5 years old would enjoy hearing it read aloud.
Our story opens as an elderly gray squirrel shares, with a very surprised human, recollections from an adventure of his youth. One squirrel from his group of friends is scooped up by a hawk. Luckily he is dropped and not made into lunch. Unluckily he is dropped far from home. His friends come to his rescue – not, however, without challenges. Squirrels are not show more known for their long attention spans and finding their friend proves difficult, but they persevere because they care deeply for their friend. Once reunited, they experience cultural differences common to those who travel, like meeting a group of red squirrels who speak with an Australian accent and eat pinecone seeds, rather than acorns. show less

When a squirrel called Jed is picked up by a hawk but manages to escape, his friends Ts-Ts and Chai go after him, navigating outside their realm by using landmarks and "buzzpaths" (power lines). Miraculously, they find Jed, but they also find three humans with noisy equipment they're using to clear tree branches away from the buzzpaths, destroying squirrels' homes in the process. Jed, Ts-Ts, Chai, and their new friend Tchke race home to try to convince everyone to move before the humans come, but their tale is so unbelievable they realize they have to make it into a game in order to mobilize their community.

A marvelous animal adventure tale and survival story, filled with friendship, danger, courage, and squirrel humor.

See also: The show more Hedgehog of Oz; Violet and Jobie in the Wild

Audiobook narrated by the incomparable Jessica Almasy (Clementine, Falling In, etc.).

Quotes

That's what disasters do sometimes, They throw us together with those who are our adversaries. Who play for a different team. For a short time, a common enemy dissolves our differences and makes us realize what we share. (106)

He could be anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. How do you know when it makes no sense to keep looking? (136) show less

Jed, TsTs, and Chai are the very best of friends. So when Jed is snatched up by a hawk and carried away to another realm, TsTs and Chai resolve to go after him. Mysteriously, the hawk has dropped him. They saw it. Jed could be alive. New communities are discovered, new friends made, huge danger is encountered (both man-made and of the fox and bobcat variety) and the mysteries of squirrel culture are revealed. It turns out that squirrels are steadfast and fun-loving. It turns out they adore peanut butter. It turns out they love games and really good stories. And nuts.

A quirky tale about three squirrel friends who discover that their tree homes are being cut down and embark on efforts to spread the news. (Actually, the trees are being cleared from the path of a power line.) The author's humorous asides on squirrel culture come in the form of footnotes.

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

I originally learned about this book at Semicolon. The upshot of the review there was that it was a lot better than it looked. When I checked it out of the library my mother read it before I did and told me that it was better than she had expected. It was Thanksgiving weekend and I had barrelled through my other books, with only this one left to go. It actually took me a day or two to bring myself to read it, despite the fact that I'd been told multiple times that was better than it looked. After reading it, what is my verdict? It's better than it looks.

Yes, it really is. It looks hokey, like kids book working to get a message across. But upon actually reading it I found that it's show more really a sweet story of friendship with just enough peril keep things interesting, while at the same time keeping things from being too dark. I would recommend this highly most middle schoolers and frankly also many elementary schoolers. It's no Harry Potter, but even older readers like me can spend a couple hours reading this fun book.


Later:
It took me forever to read this, and now it's taking me forever to review it. I don't know what it is with this book, but as soon as I set it down I put it so completely out of my mind I go long stretches of time without picking it up again. It's a good story for younger readers, with black-and-white illustrations and humorous footnotes throughout, but I find it extremely unmemorable. Perhaps the target audience would retain it more than I seem to be able to. There's nothing objectionable in it, and it's actually pretty sweet. show less