Miss Suzy

Miss Suzy was a little gray squirrel who lived all by herself in the tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree.  She liked to cook, she liked to clean, and she liked to sing while she worked.

Every once in a while on this blog I have to include a review of an old release or a classic that is still in print.  And how could I possibly forget Miss Suzy by Miriam Young?

Miss Suzy was among the top five books for me as a child.  The author's name enthralled me because it was the same as my own; I decided that I would one day be a children's author, too, and I am writing all the time with that goal still in mind. I also loved the story of the little gray squirrel who was happy until the mean red squirrels chased her out.  She seeks refuge in a dollhouse hidden away in a nearby attic, where she meets and shows caring hospitality to a band of toy soldiers through the winter.  The way the toy soldiers choose to repay Miss Suzy in the spring is a great example of kindness, compassion, and bravery.  One of the morals is that some things are just worth fighting for!

The book is such a wonderful one that on Amazon.com the 40th Anniversary Edition of Miss Suzy (Purple House Publishers) has received 135 five star reviews, 1 four star review, and no review under four stars.  Arnold Lobel's illustrations are some of my favorite of all time and compliment the text excellently.

To this day, I pretty much have Miss Suzy memorized.  I can still hear it the way my mom read it to me over and over, including the melodies she made up to go with the snippets of Miss Suzy's songs that appear in several places throughout the text.  Without a doubt, Miss Suzy is sure to delight your children. 

That night when she went to bed, she was very tired.  But she looked through the branches and she could see a million stars.  The wind blew gently and rocked the tree like a cradle.  It was very peaceful, and Miss Suzy was happy once more.