Acorns Everywhere!

Acorns Everywhere! by Kevin Sherry

Right up front: I have an affection for squirrels. They’re cute and furry and have those tiny little hand-like paws with which they hold objects. And they have that tendency to stop, look around, and then go back to what they’re doing. How can you resist that?

Secondly: Did you read I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean? If not, run right now and do it right now, because you’re missing out. (ITBTITO was Sherry’s first picture book.)

I’m not usually a huge fan of illustrations that incorporate bits of photographs into non-photograph scenes. It’s not easy to make that technique work and it very rarely does (Knuffle Bunny is the prime example of it working). Sherry pulls it off here, though, with real hardcore acorn footage used with a goofy, adorable watercolor and ink Squirrel. The snippets of text on each page (“gather!” “dig!” “bury!”) match the pace of an actual squirrel’s activity as does the repetition. Sherry manages to squeeze a lot of emotion into the sparse lines of Squirrel’s facial expressions (as well as those of the other animals). This is a fun read with plenty of detail to find away from the primary action.

Recommended. Reviewed from library copy.