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    The Children's Book Review

    The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties: Toon Tellegen and Jessica Ahlberg

    Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze2 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Animal Books Bedtime Books Chapter Books Fantasy: Supernatural Fiction
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    By Bianca Schulze By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
    Published: March 23, 2010

    The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties

    by Toon Tellegen (Author), Jessica Ahlberg (Illustrator)

    Reading level: Ages 5-8

    Hardcover: 156 pages

    Publisher: Boxer Books (November 3, 2009)

    Source of book: Publisher

    What to expect: Birthdays, Animals, Friendship

    This is a unique collection of 9 stories that I consider to be sweetly abstract—after reading this book, you would not be surprised to discover that the author, Toon Tellegen, is from Amsterdam (if you catch my drift). Each story reads like a delirious-but-interconnected dream—the kind that you would happily remember upon waking. It’s Squirrel’s birthday and he’s inviting all of the animals to his party—even a whale. Squirrels party, and the other subsequent animal parties and meetings, give an introspective offering of life and friendship. The illustrations, which are by Jessica Ahlberg, are delicate, interesting, and a charming expression of the text. I don’t expect that this is a book everyone will “get,” however, those who enjoy being lost in thought (and those who enjoy eating cake) will undoubtedly take pleasure in this absurdly, thoughtful book.

    An excerpt from The Whale and the Seagull—the 6th story in the collection:

    They straightened their backs and the whale rested a fin on the seagull’s shoulder, while the seagull draped a wing around the whale’s middle.

    Then they danced, silently and seriously, on the moon-drenched beach, to the sound of the slow surf. Everyone held their breath and thought: “No one has ever danced like this before.”

    Add this book to your collection: The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties

    You may also like: The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

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    Jessica Ahlberg Toon Tellegen
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    Bianca Schulze
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    Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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