Those Darn Squirrels! (Those Darn Squirrels #1)

K-Gr 4 This simple tale has a sneaky, edgy humor that erupts into hilarity as well as a warm, stabilizing feeling for humanity in all of its quirky manifestations. "Old Man Fookwire was so old that when he sneezed, dust came out. He was also a grump. He hated pie. He hated puppies. The only thing he liked was birds." This verbal introduction to the main character is enhanced with paintingsreminiscent of some of the best European children's book illustrationsof an exaggeratedly skinny, flannel-shirted caricature with a long neck, long nose, oversized glasses, and protruding Adam's apple. He never smiles, even when he's painting pictures of the birds that visit his yard every summer. In an attempt to keep the birds around when autumn arrives, he builds wonderful birdfeeders. They do indeed attract the birdsbut they also catch the eye of the squirrels. The cheerful, brilliant, and adorable creatures are shown using pulleys, weights, and remarkable cooperative planning to foil Fookwire and raid the feeders. The old man fights back. But the squirrels, still smiling and hopeful, stay up all night for a planning meeting and devise a daring escapade that relies heavily on their deep understanding of physics and their willingness to be launched through the air. What happens to the squirrels, the birds, and to Old Man Fookwire is a symphony of regret, respect, and sweetness. Readers will want to linger over this book and treasure every page."Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY" Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From the October 2008 issue of "School Library" "Journal: " This simple tale has a sneaky, edgy humor that erupts into hilarity as well as a warm, stabilizing feeling for humanity in all of its quirky manifestations. "Old Man Fookwire was so old that when he sneezed, dust came out. He was also a grump. He hated pie. He hated puppies. The only thing he liked was birds." This verbal introduction to the main character is enhanced with pantings—reminiscent of some of the best European children's book illustrations—of an exaggeratedly skinny, flanned-shirted caricature with a long neck, long nose, oversized glasses, and protruding Adam's apple. He never smiles, even when he's painting pictures of the birds that visit his yard every summer. In an attempt to keep the birds around when autumn arrives, he builds wonderful birdfeeders. They do indeed attract the birds-but they also catch the eye of the squirrels. The cheerful, brilliant, and adorable creatures are shown using pulleys, weights, and remarkable cooperative planning to foil Fookwire and raid the feeders. The old man fights back. But the squirrels, still smiling and hopeful, stay up all night for a planning meeting and devise a daring escapade that relies heavily on their deep understanding of physics and their willingness to be launched through the air. What happens to the squirrels, the birds, and to Old Man Fookwire is a symphony of regret, respect, and sweetness. Readers will want to linger over this book and treasure every page. STARRED

From the August 15, 2009 issue of "Kirkus: " Old Man Fookwire, a "grump" of the first order, hates everything, except for his birds. He paints their pictures and hopes his birdfeeder-bribewill convince them to avoid migration. Unfortunately, hoarding squirrels—the "fuzzy little geniuses" of the forest—devour the birds' allotment, even snatching the treats dangling high above a clothesline. Fookewire shakes his fist and shouts, "those darn squirrels!" An innovative laser obstacle course, however, stumps the scurrying rodents, but with their final bite, the birds migrate away, leaving Fookwire forlorn—and the squirrels repentantly determined to make it up to him, as only fuzzy little geniuses can. Rubin's pithy text adds comedic flair, though it is Salmieri's watercolor, gouache and colored pencil illustrations that hilariously carry the backyard shenanigans. Bald Fookwire is a riot as the agitation builds, with his beakish nose, elongated neck and wiry limbs, and the squirrels with their bloated bellies and contented smiles, are a flying hoot in this droll debut.