The Golden Acorn

April 15, 2019
The cadre of compassionate forest critters from A Loud Winter's Nap (2017) returns to prove that teamwork beats going it alone. Squirrel's no slouch. For the last eight years she has won the Great Acorn Hunt, but this time around someone's thrown a wrench in the works. After a rule change, the race is now a team competition, and Squirrel quickly discovers her friends Beaver, Tortoise, Rabbit, and Bird aren't quite as adept as she at navigating treetops. Come race day, Squirrel must constantly cede her lead to help her teammates when they get stuck. It's not entirely clear why her friends want to participate in the race at all or, for that matter, why the cutthroat competitor, after swallowing her annoyance with them throughout, has a 180-degree change of heart mere pages from the tale's end. She's left her friends behind and snagged the Golden Acorn by herself-- but "Tired, sweaty and...lonely," Squirrel abandons it and goes back to her friends. "From now on, Squirrel's friends would ALWAYS come first." This epiphany feels tacked on at best, if not outright unbelievable. Hudson's artistic flair helps to compensate for her storytelling. Set against a rich autumnal backdrop, pumpkin pie, candied apples, and warm woolen scarves pop. Plus, it's hard to imagine any funnier representation of a beaver squeezing through oaken knotholes than this. Forget the message. Come for the cacophony of color and the slapstick instead. (Picture book. 4-7)

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January 24, 2020

K-Gr 2-Hudson's (Too Many Carrots) forest friends are back, still oblivious to each other's needs, but always moving forward with best intentions. During the annual hunt for the Golden Acorn, Squirrel's type-A behavior almost results in her losing her friends. The realization that it's lonely at the top makes her adjust her priorities; "From now on Squirrel's friends would ALWAYS come first." Hudson's adorable, detailed, and personality-filled watercolor and pen-and-ink depictions of the forest and its inhabitants provide a lovely diversion with a little lesson to boot. VERDICT Suitable for a story time reading, the details require a longer look.-Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2019
Preschool-G According to the trophies and certificates filling her home, Squirrel is the fastest creature in the forest. For eight years, she has run away with the biggest prize of all, the huge Golden Acorn, awarded to the creature that wins the annual Golden Acorn Hunt. When it's announced that, this year, the race must be done in teams, Squirrel has no choice but to recruit her friends?Beaver, Rabbit, Tortoise, and Bird. In a hilarious spread, Squirrel struggles to get them into shape. When the race begins, Squirrel shoots ahead, while her teammates stumble, slip, and get stuck along the way. When she reaches the Acorn ahead of them, she has a difficult decision to make?glory or friendship? Tension builds until the satisfying resolution. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations showcase both the struggles of the cartoon-like creatures and the beauty of the autumnal forest. This delightful story about a hypercompetitive little squirrel delivers a great message in an exciting way. A prize.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)