Squirrels on Skis

August 1, 2013
An odd story about a plucky reporter, an entrepreneurial rabbit and, yes, skiing squirrels stumbles a bit but doesn't completely crash and burn. Engaging cover art from Lemaitre highlights the book's humorous, cartoonish flair as its strongest attribute. Pictures evoke movement and comic reactions to outlandish scenarios, positioning Lemaitre as an illustrator to watch. Ray's text, however, falters in its rhyme and rhythm and in its unwieldy plot revelation. Though a story about squirrels, it's impossible to put it in a nutshell, but here goes: Skiing squirrels descend on a town, upsetting the citizens and creating no small amount of chaos. Where are they coming from? Who's given them skis? What to do? The aforementioned plucky reporter, Sally Sue Breeze, sets out to investigate, hoping to save them from the sad fate suggested by the evil Mr. Powers, who would like to obliterate the squirrels with a vacuumlike contraption. She discovers that a rabbit has been selling the squirrels Popsicle-stick skis and toothpick ski poles in exchange for all of their acorns, and Sally convinces him to return some of the food to the starving squirrels. She also manages to set up a ski area at the erstwhile ski and ski pole factory, while convincing the squirrels to ski only there and not through the town. A strange story saved by silly art. (Early reader. 5-8)

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September 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-Squirrels racing on skis invade a quiet snow-laden town, causing havoc among the townsfolk. Each tiny creature, wearing colorful earmuffs and matching knee pads, schusses down the nearby mountain slope and through the city center, jumping off rooftops, rushing down neighborhood streets, rampaging through the cemetery, and even catapulting off a steeple. Finally, the mayor calls the local pest-control guy to get rid of the wild rodents. Stanley recommends his vacuum device until Sally Sue Breeze, "the reporter who could not have been shorter," steps up to say that there's got to be a more humane solution. She discovers a rabbit squatting in the Old Acme Popsicle Stick Factory, illegally selling popsicle sticks and toothpicks to the squirrels in exchange for acorns. Then Sally Sue comes up with a plan to get the squirrels to leave. Formatted in the classic easy-reader style, the text consists of four-line stanzas, and the colorful cartoons are expressive and animated. A perfect read for young humor lovers; think the Oncelers (from The Sneeches) meet Marvin K. Mooney (both Random).-Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR

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