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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

The list of things that frighten a young squirrel named Evergreen is long: “Afraid of loud noises. Afraid of meeting someone new. Afraid of heights, afraid of swimming, afraid of germs. And thunderstorms—her very worst fear was thunderstorms.” When Mama tasks Evergreen with taking soup to ailing Granny Oak, Evergreen sets off despite her fears. This captivating picture book chronicling Evergreen’s journey through Buckthorn Forest is divided into separate stories, each with its own dramatic arc. In “Briar,” Evergreen helps a rabbit in need who proceeds to steal the soup. “Ember” sees Evergreen, having reclaimed the soup, caught by a hawk. Evergreen meets a young, frightened toad stuck in the middle of a river in “Spring & Squirt.” She finally arrives at Granny Oak’s in “The Bear,” but the twists, turns, and surprises aren’t over. Every time Evergreen encounters one of the things that frightens her, she repeats the words “I … can do it.” By the time she returns home, she’s feeling triumphant … if not for long. A story with abundant drama and humor has subtle references to Western fairy tales and fables throughout (e.g., Evergreen’s red cloak; a predator in need). The color brown predominates in pen-and-watercolor images that include muted tones of other hues. From the creatures’ expressive eyes to the blend of realism (renderings of fur and feathers and amphibian skin), and fancy (the clothes!), the images are as exactingly and charmingly detailed as the story itself. (Ages 4-8)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from January 1, 2023

K-Gr 2-There is something familiar about Cordell's book, and not just the style of art-sketchy line work, with warm earth tones washed over them-but the modern play with story and design broken up into digestible, short chapters, each reading like an Aesop-vignette where Evergreen, the squirrel we follow through Buckthorn Forrest, faces a scary obstacle she must overcome. With each chapter, Evergreen grows more confident, so that by the end, she is better able to predict and prepare for all possibilities. The interior pages start out looking like a chapter book, but the text is broken with exciting spreads, graphic novel-style layouts, and playfully illustrated text. These design decisions make this book feel new and familiar-a classic readers will be talking about in the future. VERDICT Cordell never disappoints and never fails to surprise readers with his evergreen ability to take a story and make it feel fresh and timeless in one go.-Jessica Schriver

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

Starred review from January 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 1 *Starred Review* Evergreen is a fearful little squirrel. But when her mother, who makes delicious, healing soup, asks her to take some to Granny Oak, she can't refuse. Walking through Buckthorn Forest, she helps a rabbit who is trapped between two rocks. Afterwards, a red-tailed hawk snatches Evergreen, carries her aloft, and asks her to pull out the thorns that are hurting him. Though suspicious, she complies and earns his gratitude. Next, she rescues a little toad who has hopped to a stepping stone midway across a stream but is too frightened to hop back. Finally, she sees an enormous bear crash to the ground. Granny Oak! After reviving her with Mama's magical soup, Evergreen returns home with new confidence, ready for another adventure. The writing is concise and direct, and the episodic narrative is divided into six parts: one to introduce the characters and set up the drama, one for each of the four major challenges that Evergreen meets during her journey, and one to conclude her adventures. Drawn, shaded, and occasionally crosshatched with black Micron pen and tinted with watercolors in yellow, tan, brown, rose, and pale blue hues, the beautifully composed illustrations give this picture book a handcrafted look that suits the timeless story.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2023
Young squirrel Evergreen is afraid of just about everything. When Mama asks her to deliver soup to Granny Oak, Evergreen sets off through the woods with trepidation. Her journey is full of unexpected incidents: she extricates a rabbit trapped between boulders, removes briars from a red-tailed hawk's feathers, and rescues a stranded young toad. Cordell's (Cornbread & Poppy, rev. 3/22) picture book, with its longer-than-usual text, is broken into six engaging parts, and his fine-lined pen-and-ink drawings are colored with a soft watercolor palette of browns and greens. The varied page layouts convey both the coziness of Evergreen's world and the tension of life as part of the woodland food chain. Evergreen arrives safely with the soup, and a rewarding character reveal allows her to complete her task and fulfill her promise. By the time she's back home, after so many pages of adventure, Evergreen realizes that she is brave and she can solve problems.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from December 12, 2022
This action-packed forest marathon from Cordell (Cornbread and Poppy), which reads like a "Little Red Riding Hood" remix, stars oft-terrified squirrel Evergreen, sent by her mother through Buckthorn Forest to take Granny Oak a neat acorn's worth of healing soup. A wide-eyed rodent in a worn red shawl (a nod, perhaps, to her folktale forebearer), Evergreen generally hides "behind the closed curtains of a bedroom window," dreading so many things that "it would take far too long to list them all." Though a forest-wide trip intimidates her, her mother reassures her that she can do it, and she sets out. Across the book's six parts, Evergreen frees a rabbit named Briar, is carried off by a hawk called Ember, and hinders would-be soup thieves of all kinds-and that's just for starters. Cordell's dense, scribbly ink hatching and watercolor washes are fittingly deployed throughout, portraying animalian feathers and fur alongside soft, earthen growing things. Vignettes framed in twisted driftwood lend notes of old-fashioned charm that temper loud noises ("GRRROOOAAARRR!") and unexpected encounters. The contrast between Evergreen's own self-doubt and the way she shines under pressure is conveyed with humor and skill in this adventuresome allegory about confronting the world outside as well as one's own very real fears. Ages 2—5. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary.

From Kirkus

Starred review from November 15, 2022
Soup is always the correct solution. Evergreen, a young squirrel who lives high in a tree in Buckthorn Forest, is afraid of most things, but top of the list is thunderstorms. When her mother, who makes magical soup, asks her to take an acorn full of soup to Granny Oak, who is ill with the flu, Evergreen is afraid that she won't be brave enough to do it. But she knows she must--and that she must be careful not to spill a drop, as "Granny Oak will need every bit of it to get better." Setting off, the scared squirrel encounters a menagerie of adventures and forest creatures in her journey. It's a wild, imaginative read and one that twists and turns like a forest path, with unexpected surprises along the way. Cordell is a masterful storyteller, and readers will love following Evergreen's journey as she grows into a more confident squirrel. The artwork is the real star of the show, however; there's a hint of Sendak in the characters' humorous expressions and in the timeless pen-and-watercolor backgrounds that cry out to be examined in detail. Educators and caregivers will love reading this story aloud in installments, and readers will adore seeing what Evergreen encounters in her travels. A hint of future stories will tantalize readers, who will close the book eager for a new volume to devour. A spellbinding tale that will never brown or fade with time. (Early chapter book. 6-8)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

The musicality of Helen Day's voice combined with her British accent provides an enticing entry into Buckthorn Forest, where a squirrel named Evergreen is afraid of pretty much everything, and her mama makes soup magical enough to be a cure for the sick. Mama tells Evergreen she must take soup to sick Granny Oak. Her firm and comforting voice is a marked contrast to the quavery Evergreen's, an aural cue that transmits her state of mind as she sets off on her journey. Day excels in conveying Evergreen's growth on her journey as she overcomes dangers and obstacles, whether dealing with scary noises or creatures who try to steal Granny Oak's soup, and even begins to have some fun. E.J.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine