Squirrel's New Year's Resolution: Great for New Year's, Squirrel Appreciation Day or Anytime

It’s January 21st. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? In Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution, written by Pat Miller and Kathi Ember, Squirrel encounters the concept of resolutions for the first time and is intrigued. She first hears about them on the radio, which sends her off to the library to do some research. What could a resolution be, and how does one go about making one?

I love that Squirrel’s first idea is to go to the library for answers. More specifically, she wants to consult the knowledgeable librarian, and Bear provides her with a useful definition: “a promise you make to yourself to be better or to help others.” That’s a limited but pretty decent explanation that people of any age can apply to themselves. Squirrel likes the idea, but she can’t think of anything specific that she can do, and she spends the rest of the book trying to figure it out, growing more discouraged as each friend she consults shares his or her resolution. Will she ever be able to find one of her own?

Resolutions are a great idea, a way to nudge you in the direction of doing something great that you may feel yourself too timid or lazy or unmotivated to do. But they’re just words, and making that list of goals – or just a single goal in the case of the characters in this book – is less important than taking action. It takes until the end of the book for Squirrel to hit upon a worthwhile resolution, but when she does, she realizes that she has already been carrying it out all day.

I like the story’s emphasis on helping other people, which is ultimately more of a focus than self-improvement, though that comes into play too, especially with one of the characters wanting to learn how to read. Squirrel is a very kind-hearted creature, and showing consideration for her friends just comes naturally to her. All of the characters in the book are lovable: wise Bear, encouraging Dr. Owl, enthusiastic Skunk, good buddies Mole and Turtle, friendly Rabbit and even grumpy Porcupine. They help demonstrate the value of having a diverse group of friends who can all learn from each other. The characters in this book are anthropomorphic but fairly realistic-looking. I especially like the detail on Squirrel’s bushy gray tail.

We’re three weeks into the new year now, but it’s never too late to start making an extra effort to be kind to others or to do something a little out of one’s comfort zone. Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution may be ideal for January, but its sweet celebration of friendship is worth lauding all year long.