Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

An enterprising girl meets her match in an even more enterprising squirrel. Pearl, illustrated with black hair and eyes and beige skin, has just built herself three birdhouses. “One looked like a house. / One looked like a tube. / One looked like a teacup”—because it is a teacup, and it’s the one Pearl is most proud of. While the house-shaped feeder and the tube feeder attract appropriate (and accurately illustrated) birds, the teacup, filled with peanuts, attracts a squirrel—who eats them all. Irritated, Pearl rigs up a taller contraption to foil the squirrel, but the squirrel defeats this easily. Finally, after building a Rube Goldberg–like obstacle course of things Pearl keeps in her “box of useful odds and ends”—which the squirrel navigates with ease—Pearl’s irritation turns to admiration. When she discovers that the squirrel is, in fact, a mama with three kits, the friendship is sealed. Barrett’s high-energy narrative is filled with action verbs that give it a pleasingly crisp forward movement while Andriani’s illustrations are just as pleasingly varied in their presentation and keep up perfectly with the text. (Of note is the sequence in which nine separate iterations of the squirrel navigate each element of the ninja course.) This can-do story is delivered with great good humor, and it has the added benefit of ending with empathy rather than outright victory. Backmatter delivers more factual information about squirrels. Determination and perseverance—both girl’s and squirrel’s—are celebrated. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Pearl is trying to turn her backyard into a bird oasis, but a wily squirrel keeps outwitting her, swiping peanuts from a feeder that she has taken particular pride in creating (“It looked like a teacup/ because it was a teacup”). Pearl does her best to discourage the squirrel (and even admits there’s nothing like a worthy foe to get the creative juices flowing), and eventually constructs “a network of obstacles... each more squirrel-challenging than the last”—only to be outwitted in an amazing show of squirrelly dexterity and nimbleness. Her admiration only grows when she discovers that the squirrel is a mother trying to feed her babies. “I proclaim your victory,” she says, standing below the nest, “and I salute you, fearless, fluffy sister!” Cartooned illustrations by Andriani (Dudley’s Day at Home) are loads of fun, capturing this backyard battle of wills from every angle. The real star, however, is the luscious text by Barrett (Babymoon), redolent with rousing G-rated expletives and rollicking proclamations that feel almost Shakespearean. “Drat, drat, drat,” Pearl declaims before making peace with her adversary. “You’re a bird-feeder-crashing, teacup-smashing, peanut-poaching pest!” Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Studio Goodwin Sturges. (June)

School Library Journal
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K-Gr 2—Pearl is a young girl who has built three lovely bird feeders in her backyard. As she proudly watches birds come feed from them, she is surprised that none have touched her favorite one—a teacup filled with peanuts. She soon realizes that there is a dastardly squirrel absconding with the food. This discovery begins a test of wills as Pearl uses Rube Goldberg–like ingenuity to build outrageous contraptions to outsmart the wily rodent. Instead of being vanquished, the squirrel excels at climbing higher, and he also walks across tightropes and jumps through nets. When Pearl realizes this ninja-like squirrel is actually a mother taking the peanuts to feed her babies, she feels an affinity towards this creature and that puts them on the same team. Pearl sets about creating even more elaborate bird-feeder contraptions to help these young squirrels become as nimble and speedy as their mother. A squirrel fact page is included at the end of the book. VERDICT A compelling and generous addition to picture book collections that can inspire young naturalists and builders, and create a well of empathy in storytimes.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Pearl is an inventive and caring child who decides to build three bird feeders in her backyard. She carefully constructs a house for one, modifies a cardboard tube for another, and reuses a teacup for the last feeder. But it’s only after Pearl fills her feeders with suet, seeds, and peanuts that the real story begins. A squirrel thinks the nuts are for her, and Pearl tries everything to foil the furry thief. She devises a series of elaborate obstacle courses to prevent the squirrel from stealing the nuts, but the little critter is too smart—and very athletic! Eventually, Pearl discovers the squirrel actually needs the nuts to feed her family, turning the girl and squirrel’s contentious relationship to one of friendship. Any animal-lover will enjoy this creative, STEM-powered book and appreciate its appended “Squirrelly Facts.” For instance, did you know a group of squirrels is called a scurry? Dynamic illustrations capture the ingenuity of Pearl’s complex designs and the playfulness of the squirrel to deliver a story kids will go nuts for.