Squirrel Do Bad: Trubble Town, Book 1
By Barbara Schultz,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Funny, slapstick graphic novel has kooky plot, word jokes.
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What's the Story?
In Stephan Pastis' graphic novel SQUIRREL DO BAD: TRUBBLE TOWN, BOOK 1, Wendy the Wanderer is itching to see the world. When her overprotective dad, Worried Willy, goes on a business trip, he hires the most strict babysitter he can find, because he worries so much. Before he leaves, Willy warns Wendy to listen to the babysitter, and he tells her: "Don't eat sugary things, don't break anything, don't pet strange animals, don't stand where you can fall." Most important, he says, " Always remember -- even the smallest thing you do can have big consequences." However, the babysitter doesn't live up to her hype, and Wendy does not heed her father's words. On her first solo venture away from her home, she eats a chocolate-marshmallow "Mooshy" in the park and gives some to a squirrel, setting off a chain reaction of cartoon disasters that may land Wendy's new friend Squirrely McSquirrel in jail for blowing up buildings all over town -- a crime Wendy is sure the squirrel did not commit. It doesn't help that the local sherriff hates squirrels, and the squirrel's lawyer is Larry the Crocodile from Pastis' comic strip Pearls Before Swine. At first, Wendy's efforts to vindicate Squirrely just seem to cause more problems (as well as a lot more funny, silly situations), but eventually she gets to the bottom of things.
Is It Any Good?
Stephan Pastis' funny new graphic novel employs familiar, enjoyable elements. As in his Timmy Failure books, there's amusing wordplay, cartoon violence, and a hapless misbehaving kid. And like Pearls Before Swine, Squrirel Do Bad is full of oddly hilarious, quirky, inexplicably resentful characters, like the sherriff who detests squirrels for no particular reason. This book is quite entertaining, with silly situations and a haywire plot. It will be particularly enjoyable for upper-grade readers who can get the most out of Pastis' word/spelling humor as well as the kooky plot and pictures.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Worried Willy's statement, "The smallest thing you do can have big consequences" in Squirrel Do Bad. What happens to Wendy that makes her realize this is true? Can you think of a real-life example of that?
What does overprotective mean? Is there something you believe you are old enough to do, but you're not allowed to do?
Have you read Stephan Pastis' Timmy Failure books? Which series do you like better, and why?
Book Details
- Author: Stephan Pastis
- Illustrator: Stephan Pastis
- Genre: Graphic Novel
- Topics: Adventures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Publication date: August 31, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 288
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: August 18, 2021
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