Guess what!?

PreS-Gr 2--The squirrels are back for a fourth entry in Willems's madcap beginning readers series. This time, the main story involves Zoom Squirrel, who is excited to be going to the beach in seven days and spends the week in eager anticipation. However, once at the beach, Zoom Squirrel finds the sand itchy, does not have fun playing beach ball, and gets drenched by a big wave. Despite having a bad day at the beach, Zoom Squirrel is still happy for the great week leading up to the trip. After the beach adventure follows some trivia about the beach, including a link to the Unlimited Squirrels main website, which provides further fun facts. "Emote-acorns," or little expressive acorns depicting various emotions, can be spotted in the corners of several pages throughout, and also are featured in humorous "acorn-y" joke segments. Also included is a comical explanation of the word "anticipation" and a "guessing game" with an amusing twist. The final page provides the music to Zoom Squirrel's "Going to the Beach" song. While jam-packed with puns, zany characters, and information, the book never feels overstuffed. Instead, it encourages multiple rereads to find new, small details that may have been overlooked the first time. As usual, Willems's signature art shines, with comic-style word bubbles and simple and bold cartoon-like character designs that will be both eye-catching and funny to young readers. VERDICT Full of pep and wit, this is another winner.--Laura J. Giunta, Garden City P. L., NY

The Unlimited Squirrels hit the beach--"squirrel-style." When three squirrels stick their heads through the frame to say hello, Zoom Squirrel bursts out: "GUESS WHAT!?" Surprised, the three squirrels collapse in a heap. Zoom Squirrel reveals that they are "going to the beach in seven days." The countdown continues day after day as Zoom Squirrel hypes their trip through song, dance, and bragging. But when Wonder Squirrel wonders what Zoom Squirrel will do at the beach, Zoom Squirrel's excitement turns to nervousness. Zoom Squirrel doesn't know what to do! When beach day finally comes, Zoom Squirrel's pals show what they like to do: playing in the sand, playing with the beach ball, and playing by the water. Zoom Squirrel tries it all. Nothing works out. But what's one "bad day" after a "great week" of anticipation? As with others in the series, Willems' fourth entry reads like a variety show with one "BIG Story" followed by short one-offs. Excellent comedic timing, expressive cartoon characters, and corny jokes keep the tone light and fun. Color-coded speech bubbles, "emote-acorns," and bolded words help support readers in their decoding. The metafictive ending will give them a sense of accomplishment. Series fans won't encounter anything new besides the countdown, which cleverly helps reinforce the concept of time. The "Beach Day!" and "Research Rodent!" pages add nonfiction elements and direct readers to the series website for more information. A ray of sunshine--for readers and (most) squirrels. (sheet music) (Early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.