A parent asked me to read this, assuring me that I would find it hilarious. She said that it's a cute book for kids, but even better for adults. Unfortunately, I found this lacking compared to Willems's other works. It has a lot of repetitive text suitable for this level, and the art is cute, but it does not have a true storyline and it's not something I would put on my personal shelves. There is a small section within the book where the characters are reading about the origins of writing/books that will need an adult's help in reading/explaining to kids.

For: Mo Willems fans; squirrel fans; readers looking for a short chapter-like book with nonfiction sprinkled throughout.

Possible red flags: silliness and nonsense; corny jokes.

This was about at my reading level today.

Very silly, the first story was my favorite of the bunch. But the Squirrels are not on the same level as Elephant and Piggie yet.

Flummoxed by a sign they can't read, the squirrels are helped by the Mystery Reader who teaches them to sound out words they're not sure about. But who is the Mystery Reader? Turns out the Mystery Reader can be any one of us who unlocks reading's superpower. Kids who can't get enough Mo Willems or who miss new Elephant and Piggie books will enjoy this series, too.

Squirrel silliness and cool facts on early forms of writing.

October 2019 - a bit busier and not quite as funny as Elephant and Piggy, but a fun concept for beginning readers. Ben was delighted with the squirrel emojis.

This is a silly collection of stories that will please Willem’s fans.

The additional material was too much.