One More Acorn

In this blithe story begun by the late Don Freeman (Corduroy), the squirrel introduced in Earl the Squirrel searches for acorns he has stashed away in the parks of Washington, D.C., as winter approaches. A note from Roy Freeman explains that his father started this story while visiting the capital in late 1963, but was so devastated by President Kennedy's assassination that he abandoned the project. The son completed the manuscript and Jody Wheeler created additional art, ably replicating Freeman's wispy style. The airy pictures feature splashes of autumnal hues and loose images of the city's buildings and monuments. The narrative is equally buoyant: Earl "dashed like a furry flash" across a busy avenue and wonders if children on a field trip "are looking for acorns, too." Earl displays an amusing persnickety streak, too—when a boy offers him the prize acorn Earl had been searching for, he thinks, "Well, I'm glad to hear it.... Since it was my acorn to begin with," and he bounces off several of the kids as he delivers the acorn to his waiting family. Ages 3–up. (Sept.)