Did you know that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day? I didn’t, until my
mom informed me of that fact a couple of days ago. She knew that I
would want to take the opportunity to recognize these furry little
marvels. While my ideal way of doing so would be to spend the day at
State College feeding peanuts to the insatiable population of gray
squirrels there, that will have to wait for another day. Instead, while I
keep an eye on the window on the off chance that one of the cuddly
rodents will wander into our yard, I’m celebrating by reading and
reviewing Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks, a book in the Young Naturalists Field Guides series, written by Mel Boring and illustrated by Linda Garrow.
Oddly enough, when I put this book on hold at the library, it wasn’t
primarily because of the subject matter. I was interested in it first
and foremost because I had discovered that Boring is the father of
Jeremy Davies, who so magnificently portrays the frazzled quantum
physicist Daniel Faraday on LOST. He has written several books for children, most of them having to do with nature; his other titles include Birds, Nests, and Eggs, Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies and Flamingos, Loons, and Pelicans.
As you might guess from the title, this book is divided into three
sections. At the beginning of each section is a page that discusses some
of the basic characteristics of each group of animals, along with some
of the things that differentiate species from each other. After the
general introduction, there is one page each on several individual
species. Each species page contains the following sections: What It Looks Like, What It Eats and Where to Find It. There’s also an Interesting Facts box on each page.
Finally, before moving onto the next category of animals (or the end of
the book) Boring includes a craft or two. There’s a rabbit paperweight,
just for the fun of it, but the others are more utilitarian: a rabbit
refuge, so rabbits can hide out in your yard; a squirrel nut-ball, to
entice squirrels to stop for a snack dangling from a nearby tree; and a
chipmunk swimming pool, which encourages chipmunks to take a dip in a
shallow basin and possibly squabble over nuts, should you deign to float
them in the center as Boring suggests. I’m especially eager to give the
nut ball a whirl and see if I get any takers.
Each page is
fully illustrated, with colorful depictions of the various species.
While photographs might have been nice, the pictures are very effective
in drawing attention to certain aspects of each animal’s life. They are
good complements to the writing, which is simple but full of useful
information, along with a dash of humor here and there.
Rabbits covered include the Eastern Cottontail, Swamp Rabbit, Marsh
Rabbit, Brush Rabbit, Pygmy Rabbit, European Rabbit, Black-Tailed
Jackrabbit (which is actually a hare), White-Tailed Jackrabbit, Showshoe
Hare and Cape Hare. All of these rabbits can be found somewhere in
America. The European Rabbit is the most common in the world, and its
members live in large groups, digging burrows in the ground. The Pygmy,
unsurprisingly, is the smallest. White-Tailed Jackrabbits have two coats
- one in summer and one in winter. Swamp Rabbits spend most of their
lives swimming, and Cape Hares are escape artists.
The
squirrel facts are just as interesting. Boring discusses the Gray
Squirrel (which is so common here Pennsylvania), Fox Squirrel, Red
Squirrel, Douglas’ Squirrel, Abert’s Squirrel, Kaibab Squirrel, Flying
Squirrel, Rock Squirrel, Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel and
Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. Gray Squirrels have to chew constantly
to wear down their teeth, which grown six inches a year. Fox Squirrels
are the largest tree squirrels. Abert’s Squirrels are able to sit
completely still for two hours as they hide from predators. The Kaibab
Squirrel is distinguished by its bright white tail, which stands out
from the grayish-brown fur that covers the rest of its body. Flying
Squirrels don’t actually fly, but they’ve been known to glide as far as
300 feet. And the Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel is a very
distinctive-looking creature, with long brown stripes punctuated by
small beige spots, giving it the appearance of a flag.
Boring
explains that chipmunks are all types of ground squirrels, so squirrels
really do get the bulk of this book to themselves. He discusses the
Eastern Chipmunk (also a common sight where I live), Townsend’s
Chipmunk, Merriam’s Chipmunk, Cliff Chipmunk, Uinta Chipmunk, Lodgepole
Chipmunk, Yellow-Pine Chipmunk and Least Chipmunk. Most of these species
look pretty similar but live in different areas. While most species are
brown, Merriam’s Chipmunk is gray. The fur coloration on Townsend’s
Chipmunk varies depending on how close they are to the coast. The
Eastern Chipmunk’s heart beats 700 times per minute. Cliff Chipmunks
swing their tails back and forth instead of up and down, and Uinta
Chipmunks love to chow down on cactus seeds, stuffing up to 150 in their
mouths at a time. When it comes to hoarding food, however, the champion
has to be the Yellow-Pine Chipmunk, which has been known to store tens
of thousands of edible items in its burrow.
If you know a
child fascinated by these animals - or if you’re intrigued yourself -
Boring’s book is loaded with interesting tidbits. Sadly, this book was
published one year before Squirrel Appreciation Day was instituted, so
there’s no mention of that, but with so many different types of
squirrels - and rabbits - to investigate, any day is a good day to
express one’s appreciation for these remarkable creatures.
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