Review by Booklist Review
Squirrel moves to a new tree house and, hoping to find a friend, looks around for other animals. But where are they? She visits the playground, rows a boat, and even has a picnic, but she sees no one. Meanwhile, Rabbit moves into a new burrow. Looking for company, he sits at a café table, plays golf, and fills his water buckets beside a bridge. Where is everyone? Zooming along later, with Squirrel on her skateboard and Rabbit in roller skates, they bump into each other (literally) and become fast friends. The eye-catching illustrations, linocut prints with digital elements, feature strong lines and patterns as well as vibrant color combinations. Many pictures focus on either the blue squirrel or the red rabbit, while the other is clearly visible in the background, for observant kids to find; readers will enjoy telling the two characters what they're missing. In the illustrations, each animal is accompanied by a strange little critter (picture a worm with antennas and arms) that offers encouragement. Good fun for young children.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Squirrel, who has just moved to a new treehouse, is looking for a friend. Likewise, Rabbit is in a new burrow and wants a buddy. The digitally tweaked linocuts in blues (Squirrel) and oranges (Rabbit) highlight the joke, which young readers will find enjoyable: friendship is literally an acorn's throw away...if only the two lonely hearts would look (or listen to two helpful worms). (c) Copyright 2018. 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
Will lonely Squirrel and Rabbit ever find each other?Squirrel and Rabbit are both newcomers to their community, which is helpfully mapped out on endpapers as a guide to the different places they visit alone. No other creatures show up except for two little slugs with arms who independently determine to help Squirrel and Rabbit meet and try unsuccessfully to direct their attention to each other on every spread. Alas, Squirrel and Rabbit are oblivious to the slugs' respective efforts ("Perhaps they don't speak Bug!" is the parting shot from the blue slug at book's end, implying a lingua franca among insects and other creepy-crawlies), and Squirrel and Rabbit consistently miss seeing each other as they go about various activities, bemoaning their loneliness and isolation. There's humor in these near-misses which allow readers, alongside the slugs, to know more than the protagonists do. In one scene, Squirrel thinks, "I wish I could just bump into someone," as nuts from the cart she pulls across a bridge bean Rabbit, who is wading below. The bright palette used in the digitally enhanced linocut illustrations on the white, open spaces of the pages conveys optimism that, eventually, all will be well. A slapstick ending that has the pair literally run into each other brings about a satisfying and funny conclusion. A picture book worth finding and befriending. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
