by Danielle Ziegler

There’s changing leaves, crisp apples, and tomorrow is the first day of October! Along with being a lovely month, October is also National Squirrel Month.  At first when I heard of that, I laughed, but then I started thinking a bit more. There are a lot of wonderful children’s books with squirrels—why not read one this month? This can also help kids make connections to their own lives while reading. After all, they may have seen a squirrel just this morning!

Our very youngest readers can start out in the board book section.  A wonderful choice is Nancy Tafuri’s “The Busy Little Squirrel.” It’s also very seasonal, as it’s all about getting ready for winter.  As they grow slightly older, we have some picture books just waiting for them. My very favorite squirrel picture book is “Ol’ Mama Squirrel” by David Ezra Stein. In it, Mama Squirrel must protect her babies from all sorts of things, including a grizzly bear!  I also have a soft spot for the main character, Old Man Fookwire, as he tries to protect his birdfeeder in “Those Darn Squirrels” by Adam Rubin. Can they ever be friends?

Our juvenile graphic novels have squirrels nesting in them as well! Melanie Watt’s “Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell” has a squirrel planning, just in case everything goes wrong. But he neglected to ask himself…what if everything goes right?

Chapter book readers get to read about squirrels as well.  One of the newest series for young readers, Willow’s Woods by Suzanne Selfors has a squirrel as the hero in the first book. Look at “Sam Squirrel” to read about how he saves the day.  For adventurous readers, try “Urchin of the Riding Stars” by M.I. McAllister, where a young squirrel and his friends protect their island from evil forces.  These are both fantasies, but if you’re looking for something that the squirrels in your neighborhood might actually do, try “Gooseberry Park” by Cynthia Rylant. In it, a group of animals in a park has a big adventure when their friend Stumpy the Squirrel goes missing after a large storm.

If you were thinking that surely there are no Young Adult books about squirrels, I am about to prove you wrong. Pick up Shannon Hale’s “Squirrel Meets World” where a less known Marvel superhero named Squirrel Girl is the main character!

Celebrate squirrels this month! And also, celebrate that you can find so many books on so many different topics at your local library.