The Busy Little Squirrel

Tafuri (Have You Seen My Duckling? ) is in classic form in her latest large-scale offering. As Squirrel hops and jumps through a pumpkin patch and around the nearby woods, his long, rangy body expertly scaling branches and the occasional bird feeder, friends invite him to pause for some fun. “But Squirrel couldn’t,” explains Tafuri. “He was so busy!” Kids can chime in on six oldie-but-goodie animal sounds (“Squeak, squeak,” says Mouse, “Will you nibble a pumpkin with us?”) while they savor Tafuri’s signature style: the precisely drawn, generously sized animal shapes, the delicate detailing that makes fur and feathers bristle with energy, and the softly variegated colors that evoke the magic of the season. A wonderful book to usher in autumn. Ages 2-5. (Aug.)