Miss Suzy the squirrel

Yesterday was a bright and sunny autumn day ~ a blustery wind, colorful leaves, and squirrels everywhere gathering nuts and tantalizing my two dogs. Every time I see a squirrel, it reminds me of one of my favorite children's books ~ Miss Suzy. Written by Miriam Young and published in the 60's (I think), the book is illustrated by Arnold Lobel and is still available today.

The story revolves around the happy life of Miss Suzy ~ a little gray squirrel who is content to live in her little home high up in the tree tops, until she is chased away by a band of mean red squirrels.

Miss Suzy finds another place to live and befriends a group of soldiers who help her reclaim her house in the oak tree. As was popular during this era, book illustrations were a mix of full color illustrations and 2-3 color illustrations ~ I always loved the style of these.

I also loved the little details in the story ~ how Miss Suzy recycled and used found items to make her cozy home ie. the firefly lamps and the acorn cups. I could imagine that this was what every squirrels' home would look like if one was ever able to climb high enough to see it!

{all images from the book}