You are what you eat: squirrels are nuts!
May 26, 2003
If you looked out your kitchen window every day and saw the same squirrel, you would feel… If you looked out your kitchen window every day and saw the same squirrel, you would feel connected to it. If you looked forward to seeing the squirrel every day, you would try to befriend it. If you thought about the squirrel all the time, so much that you wrote a book about it, you would be Graham Taylor.
“A Really Super Book About Squirrels” is a short yet hilarious read about Taylor and his squirrelly endeavors. Honestly, stop and think about this: a man wrote a book about something so random that, when people see it, they’ll have to flip through the pages. You don’t even have to have an opinion about the furry little creatures to laugh out loud while reading this book. Like comedian Mitch Hedberg, he has found the irony in a situation and points it out. When you stop and think about what he is saying, it’s hilarious. Example: “You must be looking for buried treasure ’cause you’re digging a lot. Did you find a treasure map? What is treasure to you squirrel?”
Even the way he structures what he says is Mitch-like. Of course, if you don’t know who Mitch Hedberg is, this doesn’t mean much to you. Quick lesson: no contractions, short, quick statements and, of course, random thoughts from all over the place, convening in one – that’s Mitch.
Accompanying the crudely written text are crudely drawn illustrations by Taylor’s friend, Graham Roumieu. And then there is the main character, Jimmy the Squirrel. What he thinks of this project is unknown, because, as Taylor points out, he can’t talk.
There are many reasons to read this book: it contains a squirrel haiku, it will certainly serve as a pick-me-up on a gloomy day and, above all, it’s a conversation piece. “A Really Super Book About Squirrels” is a random title for a book written about one of the most random things to ever be pondered in depth.