THE AMAZING TRUE STORIES OF PEPITO THE SQUIRREL

An injured squirrel develops a close relationship with the retired doctor who helps him in this debut nonfiction picture book that features rhymes.

On a day when “the man” was busy hurrying through a huge to-do list, he noticed an incapacitated squirrel, who crawled onto his boot. An animal lover and retired physician, the man decided to care for the squirrel, whom he named Pepito, and nurse him back to health. After trying a bunch of foods and discovering Pepito liked pineapple best, the new wildlife rehabilitator examined the squirrel’s legs, concluding that the animal injured a nerve. The man built a “contraption, of wire and rope, / It was like a cone, with a minor slope!” so that Pepito could perform physical therapy in the retiree’s house. Once Pepito started feeling better, he escaped from his plastic bin and hid in the dust collector, and the man and his partner had to find him. Soon, Pepito recovered enough to return to nature, but he remained loyal to the man who nurtured him. Erebia convincingly parallels the squirrel’s rehabilitation with the man’s own sense of slowing down, taking time to appreciate nature rather than rushing from task to task. While the rhyming pairs are sometimes wordy—or convoluted—the meaning comes through clearly. The author’s edited photographs focus on Pepito, with textures adjusted to feel almost painterly, giving an artistic twist to a realistic story.

Young wildlife lovers will embrace this intriguing rehabilitation account.