cover image Those Darn Squirrels Fly South

Those Darn Squirrels Fly South

Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Clarion, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-547-67823-8

It’s a sad time for Old Man Fookwire: his beloved birds are flying south for winter. And this year, the pesky squirrels that he loves to hate have decided to follow them, using flying machines that might have been designed by da Vinci (if he’d had access to soda bottles and baseball caps). Fookwire loads up his vintage convertible and joins the birds and squirrels in the tropical village of “Santa Vaca,” where even he manages to crack a smile. In the squirrels’ third outing, Rubin conveys the complexities of a testy relationship with flair, while Salmieri captures Fookwire’s grumpiness and the vacant expressions of the squirrels as they dance on the beach and prepare mangoes with salt and lime. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)