The Little Squirrel Who Worried Book Review


I usually don't do book reviews but, every once in a while a book comes along that I have to tell all of you about. That's exactly what happened with "The Little Squirrel Who Worried by Katie O'Donoghue". This is such a cute story and so relatable for kids that are facing new adventures that they are unsure of. If you have younger kiddo that isn't comfortable with leaving, meeting new people, going places, or feeling insecure in general, this story is what you need. It's so relatable for so many circumstances.

I want to tell you all about this book without giving away the whole story! You just have to get this book! The more I read, the more I love it. The more I read, the more I saw just how relatable it really is. It's so helpful without being too direct! 




From the first page, I was so interested to see what Little Squirrel was going to do and how he was going to accomplish his task of stocking up acorns for the winter since he was too worried to leave his cozy little hole in the tree. So many things have changed since last year and there is so much unknown, it's scary. Every forest animal they came across had their very own way of understanding and dealing with worry. It's a great story of overcoming fear and anxiety. 

The wren, a happy little neighbor f the Little Squirrel, noticed that Little Squirrel needed help. She decided right then, she was going to help the little squirrel. It's no fun being scared. Wren told squirrel that it was normal to feel those feeling and they could go down to the forest floor together. Squirrel thought it was nice seeing such a small animal be so brave. 



On their way to the forest floor, everything was so familiar but so different. It had been a year since he had touched the leafy forest floor and thought how strange it was that everything could be so nice and exciting, and so weird all at the same time. 

While scurrying across the forest floor, wren got ahead while she was flying. Little Squirrel saw a big pile of leaves and thought how will I ever get over it to catch up with Wren. Right about then is when the leaves started to move! It was a snuffly hedgehog! Little squirrel told Hedgehog that he was a little worried and hadn't been down to the forest floor in a year. He explained the worry about coming down and the Hedgehog was surprised, he always thought squirrels were so carefree. I guess you can never know what someone else is feeling he thought. 

When Hedgehog saw the worry on Little Squirrel's face, he knew it was something he could understand. He explained that he gets worried and scared all the time and it was ok, everyone feels that way sometimes. He explained that those feeling you can feel all over your whole body and it feels different for everyone. It's because a part of your mind thinks there's something it needs to protect you from, whether that something is real or not. Your mind sends a message to your body and it can make you feel funny all over. 











Some people want to run away as fast as they can and some people get angry and want to fight, and then there are ones that get stuck and almost frozen to the spot. Hedgehog explained that when he gets worried he curls up in a tight ball and spikes come out so no one can hurt him. So it's ok to worry when you're right to be worried but sometimes, it's just in our minds. 

Little by little, Little Squirrel was feeling braver and braver. Now he is on his way to meet Grey Rabbit. 
As he was running through the forest he noticed how weird it was that everything was the same even though it changed and it had been so long since he saw it all. 

When he met Grey Rabbit, he found yet another animal in the forest that felt the same way! Rabbit had a great way to help him with his worried feelings and asked the squirrel if he wanted to learn it. 5-4-3-2-1.

Look around and find 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you touch, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you can taste. 

After Gray Rabbit they made their way to Mister Fox. On their way to meet Mister Fox, the forest was getting darker and more tangled. It was making squirrels' heartbeats fast and he was getting worried. His worried thoughts were interrupted by a loud chipping voice. "Little Squirrel, Don't be afraid! 

Mister Fox lets Little Squirrel know that he gets worried too. He is big and he does have sharp teeth, but he's nice. He explained that when he worries he has to question them so he can think about them properly. Then he tells Little Squirrel what he does with his worries. He writes them down and puts them in a jar and puts it away for a while. Then, when he has a friend with him, he opens the jar and shares his worry. It helps when he has someone help him face his worries. 

After Fox, Little Squirrel goes to visit a few more friends in the forest. Check out the book to find out what Old Badger and Great Stag have to say to help Little Squirrel 

All of the animal friends in the forest were able to help Little Squirrel get more and more comfortable and braver with every new friend. Every new friend had some understanding and explanations of why they felt the way they did. 

I can't get over how awesome this book is. It has such a good message to pass along. I think this book will help little guys understand how not to be scared. Meeting new friends, going to new places, and looking to others for help may be scary but, everyone goes through it. It's nice to see that the things we are feeling, we are not feeling alone. 

The illustrations are so pretty and match the storyline perfectly. 

Find "The Little Squirrel Who Worried" book in hard copy on Amazon. 

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