Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--In the latest installment of this German import series, Mr. Squirrel and his pals intently listen to billy goat's stories about the elusive "King of the Forest," whose "head is crowned with leaves, and the morning star shines in his heart." When Mr. Squirrel spies a dog with tree branches stuck on his head and wearing a shiny gold collar, he mistakenly believes he has found the legendary King. Deeming the pooch's actions to be "the truth" and "the law" for a better life, the forest animals think they must dig lots of holes, scratch behind their ears, and most importantly, "leave their scent wherever they lived." Much confusion and chaos ensue over the new rule; the colored-pencil sketches show animals being pelted with a rapid-fire expulsion of rabbit droppings, taking cover from a shower of bird poop, and dodging boulder-sized dung. The forest soon "stank to high heaven" and everyone makes a quick escape until the rain gives a fresh start. The fablelike beginning of the story is accompanied by lush, painterly illustrations, but the tone abruptly shifts into silliness. VERDICT Some Mr. Squirrel fans will giggle, but for others, the scatological humor comes on a bit too strong. --Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
As a result of mistaken identity, the animals of the forest deal with a smelly mishap.Legend has it that "once in a hundred years," the King of the Forest, a chimeralike creature "crowned with leaves" appears. Longing to see this figure, Mr. Squirrel misidentifies a mutt with leafy branches stuck in his collar as the king. The forest animals diligently abide by the "king's" wisdom but are confused with his decree to "leave their scent wherever they lived." They all obey, and quickly "the whole forest stank to high heaven!" The animals seek refuge on a small island in the middle of the lake "where the wisdom of the king was still unknown." Thankfully, the rain comes, and the smell is washed away. Readers have little explanation for the setup, dropping into an exposition of the legend via a yogic billy goat. Meschenmoser undoes the initial solemnity of the story with several spreads in which Mr. Squirrel and his hedgehog friend dodge various animals' catapulting feces. The rough lines of the muted graphite-and-colored-pencil illustrations give layered textures to the creatures and the natural environment, a style that's interrupted by a few spreads of richly colored paintings for the legend of the king. Perhaps readers of the other Mr. Squirrel books (It's Springtime, Mr. Squirrel, 2018, etc.), also translated from German, will adapt better to the tonal changes of this lengthy tale.The majestic setup and the ensuing scatological humor make strange narrative bedfellows. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
