The Busy Little Squirrel [Hardcover]

Nancy Tafuri (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

The leaves have started to fall. The air is cold. Squirrel needs to get ready for winter. He cannot nibble with the mice. He does not have time to hop with the frogs or run with the dogs. But there is one thing he can do!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

"The air was getting cold. It was time for Squirrel to get ready for winter." As Squirrel dashes around the farm and meadow, his animal friends invite him to join their games: "Will you hop rocks with us?" ask the frogs. "Will you run in the field with us?" ask the dogs. The answer to each invitation is the same: "Squirrel couldn't. . . . He was so busy!" The ink-and-watercolor pictures show squirrel's flurry of activity, as he collects berries and nuts, and prepares his nest for winter. At last, an owl family invites Squirrel to admire the moon, but Squirrel can't—he's fast asleep! As in Tafuri's other titles, the basic words and large, clearly defined pictures of familiar animals are perfectly suited for preschool read-alouds. Kids will enjoy chanting along with the story's refrain, while those just learning to read will appreciate the big letters and short sentences. Filled with images of falling leaves, pumpkins, and other signs of autumn, this is a good choice for primary-grade unitsabout the seasons. Engberg, Gillian

About the Author

Nancy Tafuri is the much-loved creator of more than thirty books for young children, including the Caldecott Honor Book Have You Seen My Duckling? and I Love You, Little One. She lives with her husband and daughter in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689873417
• ISBN-13: 978-0689873416
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Tafuri is probably best known as the creator of Have You Seen My Duckling?, a 1985 Caldecott Honor Book described by Parent's Choice as "beautifully precise yet emotionally affecting." Trained as a graphic designer, Tafuri has authored more than 45 books over 27 years for the very young. www.nancytafuri.com
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A succinct look at squirrels, October 7, 2009

By 

Deborah Verlen "Deborah" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Busy Little Squirrel (Hardcover)

We have a lot of squirrels around the house and my granddaughters love to watch their antics. This book gave them some insight into how a squirrel lives when he isn't chasing his buddies up and down the trees and jumping onto roofs and doing other fun acrobatics with his pals. There are discussion points about what squirrel does in the winter, where does he live, how does he store his food and more. The illustrations are large and colorful and the dialogue simple; the two to four year old crowd at our house loves it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sweet read, November 9, 2010

By 

L. Pedersen "Laurels" (Fords, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Busy Little Squirrel (Hardcover)

My daughter is 17 months old, and she just loves this story. It's a simple book, but there is a cute story for her to follow. She loves that as the busy squirrel (who is collecting a variety of food for fall) runs by each animal, she can hear me read the animal noise: "squeek, sweet, croak, meow, woof, and hoo-hoo." She likes to repeat these noises. She also gets to see all the different food that squirrel collects: apples, seeds, berries, nuts, and corn. I think that it is a great little first-learning book. The illustrations are beautiful too!! I highly recommend this book. I am always looking for books that are engaging and teach something that tell a story (as opposed to books that just have a picture and a name of something on each page). This fits the bill!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Choice for Fall Storytimes, September 17, 2010

By 

J. Prather (IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Busy Little Squirrel (Hardcover)

The bright illustrations and spare text make this a perfect choice for fall story times, especially for the youngest of preschoolers. The author does a masterful job of introducing squirrels while also telling a really cute story. The squirrel often times seems larger than life as he bustles about getting ready for winter. He can't join any of the animals who call out to him because he's got things to do. The final panel showing the squirrel fast asleep gives a perfect opportunity to introduce hibernation and the coming winter. A big recommend for both it's succinct tezt and beautiful illustrations. This one needs to be part of every permanent story time collection.