Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Birds of a feather (along with a cantankerous gentleman and his pesky squirrels) flock together at this tropical destination. Old Man Fookwire dips into a depression when his beloved feathered companions fly south. His impish squirrels take to the sky in makeshift machines (utilizing, in part, a pine cone and soda bottle) and follow the birds. After the squirrels call collect, Fookwire putters down the highway (at 12 mph) to join the birds and the pests. Once in Santa Vaca, he discovers the fiery coco, kiki and caramba birds and starts to paint them. Forgetting sunscreen and forgoing water, Mr. Fookwire turns tomato-red and suffers from heatstroke. The squirrels perform triage, fanning him with palm branches and dumping fluids into his parched mouth, before piling him into his sports car and driving him back north at record speeds. Fookwire's "Thooooooose daaaaaaarn squirrrrrels!" says it all about their love-hate relationship. Visual slapstick and a deadpan text combine with trademark Fookwire expressions ("great googly-moogly!") to make this third Darn Squirrels outing a winner. Watercolor, gouache and colored-pencil spreads pepper the beach with individual grains of sand. The birds' flamboyance (one a bird-sized replica of the ornery old man) is the perfect complement to the sweltering heat. Hysterical--again. (Picture book. 5-9)

Horn Book

Those darn (yet clever) squirrels devise flying machines to follow Old Man Fookwire's beloved birds to warm southern climes. After the squirrels call collect from paradise, lonely Fookwire dusts off his 1957 roadster for a migration of his own. Both plot and illustrations in this third romp of Fookwire's squirrel saga live up to the charms and wit of its predecessors.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Birds of a feather (along with a cantankerous gentleman and his pesky squirrels) flock together at this tropical destination. Old Man Fookwire dips into a depression when his beloved feathered companions fly south. His impish squirrels take to the sky in makeshift machines (utilizing, in part, a pine cone and soda bottle) and follow the birds. After the squirrels call collect, Fookwire putters down the highway (at 12 mph) to join the birds and the pests. Once in Santa Vaca, he discovers the fiery coco, kiki and caramba birds and starts to paint them. Forgetting sunscreen and forgoing water, Mr. Fookwire turns tomato-red and suffers from heatstroke. The squirrels perform triage, fanning him with palm branches and dumping fluids into his parched mouth, before piling him into his sports car and driving him back north at record speeds. Fookwire's "Thooooooose daaaaaaarn squirrrrrels!" says it all about their love-hate relationship. Visual slapstick and a deadpan text combine with trademark Fookwire expressions ("great googly-moogly!") to make this third Darn Squirrels outing a winner. Watercolor, gouache and colored-pencil spreads pepper the beach with individual grains of sand. The birds' flamboyance (one a bird-sized replica of the ornery old man) is the perfect complement to the sweltering heat. Hysterical--again. (Picture book. 5-9)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

It-s a sad time for Old Man Fookwire: his beloved birds are flying south for winter. And this year, the pesky squirrels that he loves to hate have decided to follow them, using flying machines that might have been designed by da Vinci (if he-d had access to soda bottles and baseball caps). Fookwire loads up his vintage convertible and joins the birds and squirrels in the tropical village of -Santa Vaca,- where even he manages to crack a smile. In the squirrels- third outing, Rubin conveys the complexities of a testy relationship with flair, while Salmieri captures Fookwire-s grumpiness and the vacant expressions of the squirrels as they dance on the beach and prepare mangoes with salt and lime. Ages 4-8. Illustrator-s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 Those darn squirrels are at it again, and this time they're headed for warmer weather, aided by their "comprehensive understanding of aerodynamic engineering." In their third appearance, grumpy Old Man Fookwire is still painting pictures of his beloved birds and shaking his fist at squirrel shenanigans. But, instead of the baba, yaba, and floogle birds flying south alone, the squirrels tag along to see what all the fuss is about. When he receives a collect call from the squirrels turned beach bums, Fookwire's loneliness gets the better of him and he dusts off the red 1957 convertible he's kept hiding in a shed. After reuniting with his bird friends, sunburning his giant schnoz, and painting to his grumpy heart's content, he and the squirrels road trip it back together. Salmieri's characteristic sketches stretch every scene to humorous proportion, making the most of Rubin's quirky story line and eccentric vocabulary. As Fookwire would say, "Great googley-moogley," this story doesn't disappoint. Jenna Boles, Washington-Centerville Public Library, OH