In 2001, wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove created a day to celebrate an animal species that often gets overlooked: Squirrel Appreciation Day. While some may consider our little rodent friends pests, squirrel fans recognize they are intelligent, resourceful, and critical parts of many ecosystems. To honor these little bushy-tailed beasties, we have five picture books with squirrel stars to celebrate their big day.
Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman
Earl the squirrel is a little nervous: his mom wants him to learn how to find acorns on his own from now on, but he’s not sure how to start. He enlists the help of a human child named Jill, who offers him an acorn, a nutcracker, and a little scarf — much to the dismay of his mother, who wants Earl to learn how to take care of himself! Fans of Don Freeman’s classic book Corduroy will enjoy this posthumous release by the late author, especially for the sweet, timeless art style. The story is simple and heartwarming but offers a solid lesson on self-sufficiency and learning age-appropriate self-sufficiency; after all, Earl’s mother only wants him to learn how to be able to take care of himself because it is an important part of growing up.
Who Took My Lollipop? by Doug Cenko, Illustrated by Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn
One day, Squirrel gathers his friends with upsetting news: someone has taken his lollipop. Now, Squirrel knows that he’s had issues with his temper in the past, but he’s really been working on it, so he decides to approach this conundrum with as much tact as possible, and he’s not accusing anyone — yet — but… WHO TOOK THE LOLLIPOP?! Readers are in on the joke from the cover: the lollipop is stuck to Squirrel’s tail, but whenever his friends try to point this out, he interrupts. It’s a great gag that young readers will love, but the book also offers some important lessons on managing big feelings and trying to do better next time (even if you don’t always get it right).
The Secret Life of Squirrels: A Love Story by Nancy Rose
Part of an adorable series by Rose using her clever and quirky wildlife photographs of squirrels interacting with props, this title is a favorite in particular due to its irresistible love story between the two characters, Mr. Peanuts and Rosie. After a charming meet-cute and an adorable day together, Mr. Peanuts is positively smitten with Rosie and decides to prepare a date to ask Rosie a very important question: will she be his Valentine? Rose’s photography is filled with impossibly endearing little fluffballs doing human activities, and little ones will love imagining the secret lives that squirrels are hiding and rooting for Mr. Peanuts and Rosie to find their happily ever after.
This is a Taco! by Andrew Cangelose, Illustrated by Josh Shipley
Meet Taco! Yes, he’s a squirrel, but his name is Taco. Taco has agreed to be in this book to teach little readers all about squirrels. For instance, did you know that squirrels are some of the cleanest rodents in the world? Taco is very proud of his fluffy fur (though admittedly, he owes some of his awesome looks to his stylist, a prairie dog named Garbage). But wait, why does the next time say that squirrels like acorns and tree bark? Taco likes to eat tacos; that’s how he got his name! A combination of real squirrel facts with some hilarious madcap antics from squirrel and his fellow woodland friends, kids will love the irreverent tone and screwball humor on every page of this squirrel “guide.”
Bear and Squirrel Are Friends… Yes, Really! by Deb Pilutti
We know you’ve heard that bears eat squirrels, and for other bears and squirrels, that may be true. But Bear and Squirrel are the best of friends! They both enjoy berries, they both appreciate a tidy home, and they both think the notion that Bear would ever, ever eat Squirrel is simply ridiculous. That is, until the day that Bear wakes up from his long hibernation, and the energy between the besties is different somehow. For instance, why does Squirrel look so… delicious all of a sudden? A twisty tale with a slightly dark sense of humor — yet a perfectly funny and satisfying outcome — is a delight for little ones who enjoy a bit of silliness in their unlikely friendship stories.
We hope that one or more of these titles will inspire you and the little readers in your life to celebrate squirrels during Squirrel Appreciation Day (and maybe leave out some squirrel-safe treats). As always, happy reading!
To check out more of our favorite kids’ book picks, check out our article on 10 Enchanting Picture Books About Snow.
To see all of our recommendations for mini bookworms, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
