*Review* The Great Squirrel Burglar by J. Lawrence Graham and Mary Ellen Wehrli

 

Genre: Children's 3-5 years

Published: October 16, 2023

Pages: 32

In The Great Squirrel Burglar, authors Mary Ellen Graham Wehrli and J. Lawrence Graham present us with an engaging story and charming illustrations for children, parents, and grandparents that teach the importance of multigenerational relationships and the worthy (and delightful!) lessons we learn from family.

Alongside the "squirrely" characters of Grandpa Earl--aka the legendary Great Squirrel Burglar--and his "grandkit" Jack Boy, children and their families will go on a delightful journey to help Grandpa Earl solve the mystery of where he's hidden his missing nuts and acorns. Joining Earl and his grandson are Carl the Cardinal, the fabulous feline Catrina, Spot the hound dog, Babbit the Rabbit, and more!

​This captivating cast of wildlife friends adds color and fun to The Great Squirrel Burglar, which teaches children about the joy (and excitement!) that older generations can add to their families.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This was a story about a squirrel kit who is following his grandfather squirrel around town while he asks everyone where his nuts are. The 12-year-old boy inside me found that part of the story very amusing. Obviously it's important, as a squirrel, to know where you buried your nuts so you don't starve over the long winter. While they are out, a cardinal tells the young squirrel kit a story about the great squirrel burglar, who just now happens to be an old grandfather squirrel looking for his nuts. 

I don't think I'd want to read this book too terribly many times, at least not close together. It wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't a fun story (silly rhymes and things) either. The illustrations looked like watercolor paintings. Overall I give The Great Squirrel Burglar 2.8754 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Mary Ellen Graham Wehrli is a native of San Francisco, California, who now resides in Lewisville, Texas. Her formal art studies began some fifty-plus years ago at San Jose State University and the College of San Mateo. She has exhibited in many juried shows throughout California and Texas and has been a juror for several arts organizations. Her work is exhibited in public buildings, including the Santa Paula Museum, where the painting below is part of the permanent collection. She has also shown in the Newport Museum and the San Diego Museum. Mary Ellen was the fine arts supervisor for the Orange County Fair, the fine art coordinator for the Los Angeles County Fair, and the special events coordinator for the Art-A-Fair Festival in Laguna Beach, California. Mary Ellen does representational and abstract forms of art in various artistic media. Her award-winning works have been presented internationally by firms as cards, calendars, collector plates, puzzles, cross-stitch designs, posters, and limited-edition prints.

J. Lawrence Graham has a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught courses in behavioral sciences at both the University of Southern California and, most recently, at UC Irvine, where he is a professor emeritus. He has published eight other books, both fiction and nonfiction. Lawrence is also an award-winning photographer who has exhibited his work at the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach and at other locations in Southern California.