Fix and Stitch

by Nass Barbara, Liza Woodruff (Illustrator)

Overview

Squirrel is busy running his tailoring shop, Fix and Stitch: Tailor for all Needs. He can thread a needle and mend a tear in the wink of an eye. But now that the leaves have fallen and the birds have flown south, it's time for Squirrel to close the shop. He must prepare his winter home before the snow comes. But just as Squirrel goes to collect materials for his winter home, neighbors arrive, needing his special talents and attention. And Squirrel just can't say no to someone asking for help, whether it's fixing a rip in a favorite coat to problem-solving a stinky situation. He is always there for his friends. But what happens if Squirrel doesn't take time to care of himself and what he needs to do? Who will be there to help him? This story offers a gentle reminder that while taking care of others is important, one still needs to make time for oneself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668935170
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	09/15/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Liza Woodruff has illustrated many books for children, including Tails from the Animal Shelter and Once Upon a Winter Day, which she also wrote. Liza, her family, and their two dogs live at the base of a very small mountain in Vermont, where she often spots the animals featured in this story. When Liza’s not writing or illustrating, she works as a bookseller at the Flying Pig Bookstore. Follow her @Lizawoodruff on Instagram and Liza Woodruff Wright on Facebook.

Editorial Reviews

...a charming, pleasant, gentle, entertaining, and original picture story that offers the underlying message that while taking care of others is important, we still needs to make time for ourselves.

Midwest Book Reviews

2023-05-09
Woodland animals convey a lesson about self-care.

Squirrel neglects to prepare for winter. But unlike Aesop’s lazy grasshopper, he is motivated by benevolence or perhaps by the need to be needed. Though Squirrel, an expert tailor, has a plan to build his winter home, he is willingly deterred when his many friends successively need help. Fox has a torn coat; Porcupine would like to cover her spines to make hugs possible; a floral coverall could mask Skunk’s stench; Rabbit has no way to corral her kits. Squirrel, conscious of the shortening days, eventually resists but again gives in to Rabbit’s tearful pleas. After all, each friend promises to bring materials for Squirrel’s winter abode. Snow is falling, and it’s almost too late when they do show up, but they come through in the end. The messages—spelled out in a diplomatic afterword addressed to small readers—are to secure one’s own oxygen mask before helping others and that it’s OK to say no to a friend. Nass’ nimble text includes vocabulary words such as flared, whiffed, trembled, and wheezed. Woodruff’s finely drawn and subtly colorful vignettes and double-page spreads have a classic air; they suggest that these anthropomorphized animals are cousins of Beatrix Potter’s beloved creatures. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The appealing story of a heroic helper whose good-natured generosity is almost his undoing. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews