Synopses & Reviews
For more information about the book and Don Freeman, please visit www.donfreeman.info.
Earl the Squirrel doesn’t think of himself as spoiled, but his mother does. She decides it’s high time Earl learns to find acorns for himself. There’s only one problem—he doesn’t know where to look. Earl’s friend Jill offers to help, but that’s not what Earl’s mother had in mind. So, wearing his bright red scarf, Earl sets off on his own for an action-packed acornfinding mission.
Striking black-and-white scratchboard art is accented by Earl’s crimson scarf. The effect is classic, clean, and thoroughly recognizable as Don Freeman’s signature style.
Review
"Never before published, this breezy, droll tale…focuses on the rite of passage for an ingenious squirrel. Freeman serves up some laugh-out-loud images, as well as some affecting ones, in a tale well worthy of publication at last."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
and#160;"Visual slapstick and a deadpan text combine with trademark Fookwire expressions to make this third Darn Squirrels outing a winner . . . Hysterical--again."and#8212;
Kirkus, starred review
"Rubin conveys the complexities of a testy relationship with flair."and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Like the previous volumes, Rubin and Salmieri's third Fookwire-squirrel saga is rich in clever language and unexpectedly humorous flourishes."and#8212;New York Times online review
"This story doesn't disappoint."and#8212;School Library Journal
Synopsis
As Old Man Fookwire's birds prepare to migrate south for the winter, the squirrels decide to follow. The birds and squirrels' sunny, beachyand#160;destination is a paradise, so warm and beautiful that it might even entice the grumpiest old man in existence to pay a visit as well.
Synopsis
Old Man Fookwire's one pleasure in life is painting the birds in his backyard. When fall arrives andand#160;the birds fly south, Fookwire isand#160;desolate. The squirrels are curious: Where are the birds going, and whatand#160;do they do once they get there?and#160;With their usual ingenuity and engineering skills, the squirrels devise a way toand#160;follow the birds to their destination, a tropical paradise.A wonderful time is had by alland#8212;all but grumpy Old Man Fookwire, alone at home. But the squirrels have a solution for that, too. Readers will revel in this third off-the-wall comedy featuring Old Man Fookwire, a lot of birds, andand#160;those darn squirrels. and#160;
About the Author
Don Freeman was born in San Diego, California, in 1908. At an early age, he received a trumpet as a gift from his father. He practiced obsessively and eventually joined a California dance band. After graduating from high school, he ventured to New York City to study art under the tutelage of Joan Sloan and Harry Wickey at the Art Students' League. He managed to support himself throughout his schooling by playing his trumpet evenings, in nightclubs and at weddings.
Gradually, he eased into making a living sketching impressions of Broadway shows for The New York Times and The Herald Tribune. This shift was helped along, in no small part, by a rather heartbreaking incident: he lost his trumpet. One evening, he was so engrossed in sketching people on the subway, he simply forgot it was sitting on the seat beside him. This new career turned out to be a near-perfect fit for Don, though, as he had always loved the theater.
He was introduced to the world of childrens literature when William Saroyan asked him to illustrate several books. Soon after, he began to write and illustrate his own books, a career he settled into comfortably and happily. Through his writing, he was able to create his own theater: "I love the flow of turning the pages, the suspense of what's next. Ideas just come at me and after me. It's all so natural. I work all the time, long into the night, and it's such a pleasure. I don't know when the time ends. I've never been happier in my life!"
Don died in 1978, after a long and successful career. He created many beloved characters in his lifetime, perhaps the most beloved among them a stuffed, overall-wearing bear named Corduroy.
Don Freeman was the author and illustrator of many popular books for children, including Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, and the Caldecott Honor Book Fly High, Fly Low.