Squirlish: The girl in the tree by Ellen Potter, illustrated by Sara Cristofori

Ellen Potter writes quirky, New York-centric stories and this new beginning chapter series is no exception. Cordelia has been raised from a baby by the squirrels in Central Park, specifically an elderly squirrel named Shakespeare. She's now eight years old and we meet her getting ready to celebrate Nut Day, when all the squirrels gather supplies for the winter. Cordelia feels she has everything she needs, between the squirrels and Viola the groundskeeper, who feeds and clothes her.

As Cordelia plays with the other creatures and hunts and hides nuts with Shakespeare, she worries about sometimes feeling like a misfit among the other squirrels. When a sneaky squirrel steals their nut stash, Cordelia leaves her safe corner of the park and goes on a wild adventure across the park, eventually meeting a whole new group of people, including a woman named Ms. Bird. Ms. Bird is impressed by Cordelia's abilities and wants to take her to her school for gymnasts. Cordelia spends the afternoon there, but she definitely doesn't fit in with the humans, especially with her squirrel-like behavior of chittering, chasing, and storing nuts in her pockets. Ms. Bird takes her back to the park and Cordelia is miserable, thinking that she doesn't fit in anywhere - not with the other squirrels and not with the human children. However, it turns out she has made a new human friend after all, and she also has her place with the squirrels. She's not completely human or squirrel - she's squirlish, a little bit of both. Black and white cartoons are sprinkled throughout the story. Cordelia is a white girl with brown hair, Viola the groundskeeper is Black, as is Isaac, the boy she befriends. Excepting a few tourists, all the people shown are thin and athletic, not surprisingly since they are almost all gymnasts of some kind.

Verdict: While I, personally, am not a fan of Ellen Potter, there are kids who will enjoy her very quirky style. This is not quite as New York-centric as some of her other stories, and while still definitely privileged and requiring a lot of suspension of belief, it will click with readers who feel weird and left out and would like to imagine living in a treehouse with squirrels! Purchase if you have readers who would enjoy this niche story.

ISBN: 9781665926751; Published June 2023 by Margaret McElderry Books; Review copy provided by publisher