Squirrels on Skis (Beginner Books(R))

Ray, J. Hamilton

ISBN 10: 0375971521 ISBN 13: 9780375971525

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013

Synopsis

This new Beginner Book about manic skiing squirrels—by J. Hamilton Ray with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre—has the feeling of an old classic read-aloud. "Nobody knew how the mania grew. First there was one, and then there were two. Three more came gliding from under the trees. LOOK! On the hill. Those are squirrels on skis! Below lay the town, snow-covered and still. Not a sound could be heard. All was silent, until . . . Swwwishhhh swooped the skiers, all dressed for play. Eighty-five squirrels and more on the way!" As you can imagine, the townsfolk are NOT amused. Can intrepid reporter Sally Sue Breeze find out where the squirrels are getting their skis-and make them stop skiing long enough to eat lunch-before pest-control guy Stanley Powers sucks them up in his vacuum device? (Don't worry—Sally triumphs in a most unexpected way.) With delightfully understated, funny illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre, this is the perfect book for beginning readers to curl up and chill out with on a snow day—or any day!

Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.


From the Hardcover edition.

About this title

About the Author

J. HAMILTON RAY is a children's television writer and producer. He's won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for Children, and among the many programs he has written for and produced is the hit PBS Kids television show Between the Lions. He has also produced animated videos of picture books, among them many by Dr. Seuss and P. D. Eastman. He and his wife—the novelist C. A. Belmond—divide their time between the woods of Redding, CT. (where the squirrel-watching is great), and France. Squirrels on Skis is his first book.

Reviews

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, ORα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375971521
• ISBN 13: 9780375971525
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Lemaître Pascal
• Number of pages: 64