Ol' Mama Squirrel
PreS-Gr 2-An overly protective mother squirrel shelters her babies from all types of intruders, including a niggling cat and a nosy, sniffing dog. She also scolds kites and waves her paws at airplanes flying overhead. Clattering "chook chook chook" in high and low branches, she sends gullible intruders on their way with great dispatch. Then one day a great, growling grizzly bear climbs into their safe haven. Mama Squirrel pelts him with nuts and takes her "chook chook chook" sound alarm to the next level. "Not on my watch!" she howls. Hundreds of mama squirrels come out of the woodwork, scolding the bear and throwing nuts at him. After he flees the scene, the townsfolk honor Ol' Mama Squirrel by constructing a plaque on the spot where she scolded the grizzly. "If you're ever in town, you should go see it...if you can get anywhere near it." Stein's expressive watercolor and ink illustrations fill each spread. Zany, blocklike animals are drawn with animated gestures, drawing readers into the humorous, but caring subject of a mother's love. Storytellers will find themselves animating Mama's frantic gestures and youngsters will enjoy the short, fast-paced passages on each page.-Krista Welz, The North Bergen Public Library, NJα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.