Squirrels are so busy in the fall, running around and gathering food for winter. They are fun to watch, and read about. My son and I picked out 10 of our favorite squirrel stories to share with you. We found all of them at our library, so please check your library for these great books!
10 Great Squirrel Books–
1. Bedtime in the Forest by Kazuo Iwamura —
At some point every kid has wanted to stay up past their bedtime–doesn’t matter if they are boys or girls or squirrels! In this beautifully illustrated story, the three little squirrels want to stay up late and play with the owls. However, the squirrels all fall asleep during their late night playtime and their dad brings them back to bed. How are the young squirrels and the owlets going to be friends if they are awake at different times? They come up with a brilliant plan to exchange letters! If you enjoyed this one, check out the other squirrel stories in this series.
2. The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri —
Squirrel is busy preparing for winter and has no time to play. The other animals keep asking squirrel to take a break with them, but squirrel is too busy gathering food. This book is a great look at what squirrels eat and how they “squirrel away” food for winter. My son loves pouring over the illustrations and finding other busy squirrels in the background.
3. Cyril and Pat by Emily Gravett —
This is a funny book about two friends, a squirrel named Cyril and a rat named Pat. They both live in the park and have lots of fun together. However, other animals tell they that they are too different to be friends. Can that be true? Cyril lists all of the ways that Pat is a great friend even though he is a rat. When a mean dog is after Cyril, Pat and his rat friends come to the rescue, proving that friends come in all different shapes, sizes, and species! The only issue I have with this book is that it uses the word “stupid” and that’s not something that I want to teach my son. But since he can’t read yet, I just skipped over that word when I was reading the story out loud to him. In my opinion, the message of friendship outweighs that one negative word.
4.Good Night, Bat! Good Morning, Squirrel! by Paul Meisel–
Bat thinks he has found the perfect home! However, it turns out that this is squirrel’s home. Since they sleep at opposite times, they don’t have a chance to communicate in person. Squirrel doesn’t want to share her home so she leaves Bat notes trying to get him to leave. Bat misinterprets the notes and thinks they are friends now. Kids will giggle at the misunderstandings and love the happy ending.
5. Leaf Trouble by Emmett Johnson —
Learn about the changing of seasons with two cute little squirrels in this story. Worried about the falling leaves, a brother and sister squirrel unsuccessfully try to put the leaves back on the tree. Mommy squirrel teaches them all about fall and reassures them that new leaves will grow in the springtime.
6. Nuts to You by Lois Ehlert —
Lois Ehlert is one of my favorite authors and illustrators 🙂 In this book, a curious squirrel wanders though an open window into an apartment! Oh my goodness, how are they going to get it out? Preschoolers will enjoy this squirrel’s nutty indoor adventure and the beautiful collage-like pictures. Bonus — the end of the book has squirrel facts.
7. The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright —
Rachel Bright is a fantastic author! My son and I love her books, and I have read several of her stories to the library’s preschool storytime group, who agree that she rocks! In this book, squirrels Cyril and Bruce get in a fight over the last acorn. In a story similar to the Ant and the Grasshopper, one unprepared-for-winter squirrel is ready to do battle for the last acorn. The squirrels’ squabbles lead them on a hilarious adventure!
8. Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt–
Scaredy Squirrel has many stories, so if this one is not available at your library, try one of the others! In this camping adventure, Scaredy Squirrel likes the idea of camping and all of the fun things that go along with it, but he is scared to leave his tree home. Preschoolers will see themselves mirrored in Scaredy Squirrel as he voices his fears. While he is trying to avoid anything scary, he unwittingly faces his fears (in a silly way) and has a great time. This book provides a fantastic conversation starter about being afraid and how to overcome our fears so that we don’t miss out on the fun that is waiting for us!
9. Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin —
Old Man Fookwire loves birds and doesn’t want them to fly away in the winter. He comes up with a plan to entice them to stay with birdfeeders stocked with yummy food! The birds aren’t the only ones who like the food in the feeders; so do the squirrels. The squirrels and the man face off in a battle of wits over the yummy food. Kids will love the ingenious ways the squirrels come up with the get to the food!
10. The Golden Acorn by Katy Hudson —
It’s time for the Golden Nut Hunt competition and squirrel is determined to win this year! However, the rules have changed and this year, it is a team event. Squirrel is super competitive and wants to do the hunt on her own. She reluctantly asks her friends to be on her team. Squirrel’s friends are trying, but they just aren’t performing as well as she hopes. Squirrel decides to go it alone because she thinks she can do the hunt better without them (who needs a team or friends, right?). As the hunt goes on, Squirrel comes to realize that she does need her friends and comes to understand the importance of team work.
I hope you enjoy these squirrel stories! Check your library for these and other great books. To help cover the costs of this site, I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program. If you buy a book through one of my links, then I get a small percentage of the sale (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy Reading 🙂
Check out my FALL BOOK recommendations for more stories to read together!
More Squirrel Fun:
-Handprint Acorn: supplies needed are brown and tan paint, paintbrush, and paper. Let you child paint one of their hands tan and then stamp in on a piece of paper. Use the brown paint to paint on the top of the acorn. (www.craftymorning.com)
-Do like a Squirrel Does: Can you chitter like a squirrel? Jump like a squirrel? Puff up your cheeks? Find a yummy treat to eat? Pick a favorite tree outside? Scamper quickly? Wiggle your nose? What else does a squirrel do?
