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Squirrel in the House

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Squirrel hates to miss a party—whether or not he's been invited.
 
So one cold day he decides to visit Cuddles the dog inside his house. He slides down the special squirrel entrance into a pile of cut-up tree branches (how thoughtful the humans are!), takes some of the food they've clearly made for him, and buries it in the pots of dirt they've left out. What a warm welcome!
 
But when Cuddles catches sight of him and mayhem erupts, the smallest of the humans takes the blame for causing trouble. No one but Twitch the squirrel notices when the boy runs out into the snow. . . Or when he trips and hurts his ankle. 
 
Can the dog and squirrel put aside their differences, and figure out how to let the humans know their littlest one needs help? And is there more of that party food to celebrate with after?
 
With short, funny chapters and lively pen-and-ink illustrations, the Twitch the Squirrel books are perfect to share and read aloud, or for young readers beginning to seek out longer books on their own. Told from the animals' point of view, they make a great introduction to narrative perspective—and most importantly, they're always hilarious.
 
For more of Twitch's adventures, check out 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos and Squirrel in the Museum.
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    • Kirkus

      On a particularly cold, snowy afternoon, Twitch the squirrel decides to take up the next-door dog's invitation to go Inside, where the two wreak havoc before leading the man of the house Outside to rescue a small child. Twitch understands that the world has been designed for squirrels. "Squirrels are everybody's best friend." Cold and curious one winter day, Squirrel heads for the "grand brick entryway...straight down from the roof right into the heart of the house." There, he finds mysterious objects everywhere, as well as many delicious foods to eat. But Twitch is not the only guest; young relatives are also visiting today. When the dog and the youngest visitor chase Twitch, many things get broken. The child is blamed, runs Outside into the cold and snow, falls, and hurts his ankle so he can't get up. As a "polite guest of honor," Twitch knows he has a duty to alert the people to find him, but how? This humorous story is told cheerfully from the squirrel's extremely filtered perspective in present tense, with a surprisingly elevated language. (After all, he is "highly educated.") Readers do not have to have read 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel 1 Dog = Chaos (2011) to enjoy this squirrel's-eye view of the world and the slapstick humor. Short chapters illustrated with pen-and-ink line drawings add to the appeal. Delightfully nutty chapter-book fare. (Fiction. 7-10) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      August 1, 2016

      Gr 2-4-Living next door to each other, Squirrel and Cuddles, a squirrel and a dog, are constantly fighting and causing mischief. One winter's night, Squirrel gets cold and enters Cuddles's family's house. As a result, he and Cuddles leave the holiday decorations in shambles. Cuddles is banished to the basement, and a young human who gets blamed runs away. With a blizzard fast approaching, the young human injures himself, and it's up to Squirrel and Cuddles to save the day. Vande Velde does a great job of realistically bringing to life the personalities of these two squabbling animals. The characters are simple but appealing, and the plot is humorous and engaging. Chapters are short and easily segue into the next. Illustrations are detailed and lovely. VERDICT This is a story young readers will love.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

      Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      August 1, 2016
      On a particularly cold, snowy afternoon, Twitch the squirrel decides to take up the next-door dog's invitation to go Inside, where the two wreak havoc before leading the man of the house Outside to rescue a small child. Twitch understands that the world has been designed for squirrels. Squirrels are everybodys best friend. Cold and curious one winter day, Squirrel heads for the grand brick entrywaystraight down from the roof right into the heart of the house. There, he finds mysterious objects everywhere, as well as many delicious foods to eat. But Twitch is not the only guest; young relatives are also visiting today. When the dog and the youngest visitor chase Twitch, many things get broken. The child is blamed, runs Outside into the cold and snow, falls, and hurts his ankle so he can't get up. As a polite guest of honor, Twitch knows he has a duty to alert the people to find him, but how? This humorous story is told cheerfully from the squirrel's extremely filtered perspective in present tense, with a surprisingly elevated language. (After all, he is highly educated.) Readers do not have to have read 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel 1 Dog = Chaos (2011) to enjoy this squirrel's-eye view of the world and the slapstick humor. Short chapters illustrated with pen-and-ink line drawings add to the appeal. Delightfully nutty chapter-book fare. (Fiction. 7-10)

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.7
  • Lexile® Measure:790
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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