A little squirrel frantically prepares for winter in this autumnal picture-book from author/illustrator Nancy Tafuri. A series of other animals ask him to enjoy the beauty of the season, but the squirrel can't stop, always busy gathering nuts and seeds for his store. By the time evening comes, and Owl asks him to watch the moon, the squirrel is fast asleep in his nest...

Only the second picture-book I have read from Tafuri, after her charming Daddy Hugs, The Busy Little Squirrel is a book aimed at younger picture-book audiences, at toddlers. The text is very simple, with only a phrase per page, and the lovely artwork dominates the page. I appreciated both the visuals here, with the wonderful colors of autumn, and the way in which the simple story imparts basic knowledge about how squirrels gather food for the winter, and start to sleep more often as that season approaches. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking autumnal stories for toddlers. ( )

a fun book about a little squirrel that is busy getting ready for winter while everyone else is relaxing but finally he is ready for winter and is fast asleep
6 books

Read October 2010. We read this book with you three to four times a day for a couple of weeks at 17 months. You loved the squirrel, the pumpkins (you were obsessed with pumpkins) and you had the cutest way of saying Pump-kin and Ah-corn.

This was a fun read, not many words but I would ask you what is he collecting and you would say or sign the food: Berries, acorns, seeds, apples, corn. A cute book. ( )

I was really disappointed in this book. I love squirrels, so I was hoping for something cute and eventful, but this book was boring and unoriginal. The drawings were cute, but pretty much anyone could have written the book, it was too repetitive and the ending was very abrupt and inconclusive. I would love to see a little more excitement to engage the young reader more and keep them interested so they don't see reading as boring ( )

Squirrel, the busy little creature of the title, is taking care of business in the fields and the woods, preparing for winter. He has no time to play or relax with his animal friends, who invite him with their famous animal sounds. Large, naturalistic, and beautifully colored drawings show the squirrel's kinetic activity. Older children may enjoy deciphering his errands and shouting out the refrain, "He was so busy!" And younger children will delight in imitating the animal sounds.

Song pairing: "Wheels on the Bus" (with mice, birds, frogs, cats, dogs, owls)