Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-6. Rylant's latest gets off to a slow start: an introduction to the nesting instinct in humans and squirrels--squirrels because Stumpy the squirrel is having babies and needs to find a place for them all to live. The story doesn't really pick up until a vicious ice storm blows in, forcing Stumpy out of her pin oak in Gooseberry Park. Stumpy disappears, leaving her friends Kona the chocolate Labrador retriever and Murray the bat, assisted by Gwendolyn the hermit crab, to find Stumpy's babies and care for them until Stumpy can be found. The book is surprisingly uneven. The animals are personable enough, although in a stock-character sort of way, but the babies get no role at all, and, of course, Stumpy is missing for half the book. As for the story itself, Rylant seems to be rushing through it. Not a first selection, but considering the author's reputation, many libraries will want to have it on hand. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An assortment of domesticated pets and untamed creatures band together to help a friend in need in the Newbery Medalist's rollicking animal tale. At the center is Stumpy, a squirrel who gives birth to triplets shortly before her nest in Gooseberry Park is destroyed by an ice storm. Thanks to the ingenuity of Gwendolyn, a Labrador owned by a retired professor; Kona, a wise old hermit crab; and a prankster bat named Murray, Stumpy's babies are rescued and taken to cozy quarters in the professor's basement. The problem? Having left the newborns under the care of Murray, Stumpy has wandered off for help and cannot be found. The adventures of Gwendolyn, Kona and Murray as they nurture the baby squirrels, raid the professor's cupboards and eventually devise a scheme to reunite Stumpy with her brood add up to first-rate entertainment. Readers will relish every moment of this impeccably paced fantasy and its winning depictions of the unique perspectives and quandaries of four unlikely companions. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5Kona, an earnest Labrador retriever; Gwendolyn, a wise hermit crab who has been reincarnated 17 times; Murray, a loopy, Chinese leftover-eating bat; and Stumpy, a squirrel, come together during a terrible ice storm in Gooseberry Park to save Stumpy's three babies. Rylant's spare prose results in a trim tale. She does a beautiful job of creating the players, deftly drawing personalities. Murray, in particular, with his occasional snide remarks, is charming. From the humor, especially the wordplay and sarcasm, the book appears to be intended for the older elementary-school crowd, though the annoyingly smug tone of the omniscient narrator, particularly in the first chapter, might put them off. The plot holds together well, even though the oblivion of Kona's absent-minded master, Professor Albert, stretches it a trifle thin. If readers can get past the first few chapters, they will find a story they will want to finish. Howard's appealing black-and-white cartoons appear throughout.Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Gooseberry Park is the home of Stumpy, a mother squirrel who makes friends with a bat named Murray, a Labrador retriever named Kona, and assorted other wildlife. A storm knocks down Stumpy's tree, leading to rescue efforts on the part of her friends. The story, which is simple, pleasant, and modestly exciting, is reminiscent of books from the 1950s. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In a humorous contemporary fable about friendship, courage, and loyalty, Rylant (Dog Heaven, p. 951, etc.) creates an unlikely trio of friends: Stumpy, a red squirrel, Kona, a Labrador, and Gwendolyn, a hermit crab. They are joined by Murray, a dumpster- scavenging bat with a fondness for egg rolls. When an ice storm topples the pine oak containing Stumpy's nest, Kona ventures to the rescue. He and Murray save Stumpy's children, but where is Stumpy? It's a simple story, but the tongue-in-cheek humor is sophisticated and funny. Murray's way with words and his single-minded pursuit of junk food provide much of the humor, but the other characters come through, too. A tender tale delivered by a sure hand. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 8-12)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
