We are loving...

squirrels! Seth is infatuated with these little rodents. He still loves the monkeys, but squirrels are all the rage this week. The other day we spent a solid hour watching the creatures out Seth's back window. Up the tree. Down the tree. On the fence. On the ground. Scampering all over the back yard. Today at the park, we watched the squirrels almost as long as we played on the playground.

Then I taught him a song that I learned in preschool and my mom and I have sung many times growing up:

Grey Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Swish Your Bushy Tail
Grey Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Swish Your Bushy Tail
Wrinkle Up Your Funny Nose
Hold a Nut Between Your Toes
Grey Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Swish Your Bushy Tail

He looks so cute scrunching up his nose!

I picked up Earl the Squirrel at a thrift shop for about two cents. It's a really cute book by Don Freeman, who also wroth the Corduroy series. I looked up some info about the book and found out some interesting things. The book was shelved for over 50 years! It was originally passed up and Don Freeman's son found it in a file after he passed away. The art work, which is all black and white except for Earl's red scarf, is all scratchboard. The story is really cute and Seth asks for the grey squirrel book several times a day.

He has been asking, "What squirrels do?" Now I find myself researching the behaviors and habitats of squirrels to whisper to him as he falls asleep at night. Did you know there are over 300 species of squirrels?

Stay tuned for squirrel art!