The Girl in the Tree

by Ellen Potter

Overview

A girl raised by squirrels in Central Park tries to make human friends in this laugh-out-loud, highly illustrated first book in a new chapter book series perfect for fans of Sophie Mouse and Critter Club!

Cordelia is a girl who lives in a tree in Central Park. Found as a baby and raised by an adoring squirrel named Shakespeare, Cordelia acts just like any other young squirrel, leaping across treetops, chasing her squirrel friends, and sleeping in her treehouse. Still, she wonders what it would be like to have a human friend, and when she stumbles into a gymnastics class, it seems like she might have her chance.

Living in a tree might have made Cordelia an exceptional gymnast, but people skills are a whole other matter. Even if Cordelia can’t fully fit in with the other kids, can she at least make one friend? Cordelia starts her journey to be—not exactly a girl, but more than a squirrel—squirlish!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665926768
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Series:	Squirlish , #1
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Ellen Potter is the author of more than twenty award-winning novels for children and young adults, including the Squirlish series, the Hither & Nigh series, Olivia Kidney, Slob, the Big Foot and Little Foot series, the Piper Green and the Fairy Tree series, The Humming Room, Pish Posh, and The Kneebone Boy. Several of her books have been chosen by the New York Public Library for their Best 100 Books for Children list and have appeared on numerous state reading lists. Her nonfiction writing book, Spilling Ink, A Young Writer’s Handbook, coauthored with Anne Mazer, was also chosen by the New York Public Library as a Best 100 Books for Children. Ellen lives in upstate New York with her family. For more information about Ellen and her books, visit EllenPotter.com.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: The Girl in the Tree

1 The Girl in the Tree
Cordelia was a girl who lived in a tall elm tree in Central Park. No one knew where she came from. A squirrel named Shakespeare found her one evening under a shrub, when she was just a wee baby. Shakespeare didn’t like the looks of this small human creature with its drippy nose and big staring eyes. He certainly had no intention of taking care of it. He enjoyed his alone time too much. Some squirrels are like that.

Still, thought Shakespeare, there is a coyote roaming around the park. A coyote might eat a human baby. Coyotes have no shame.

Shakespeare hurried over to his neighbor, Miss Gertrude, an elderly squirrel who lived in the larch tree next door. Miss Gertrude was a very clever squirrel. When she saw the baby under the shrub, she knew exactly what to do.



She found three strong pigeons. The pigeons each took a beakful of Cordelia’s onesie and flew her straight up to an old squirrel’s nest in Shakespeare’s tree. The nest was big and sturdy enough for a small human baby. Cordelia curled up very comfortably and fell straight to sleep.



“But I don’t want a baby,” Shakespeare complained to Miss Gertrude. “Their noses run and their crying makes my ears feel all buzzily.”

Shakespeare liked to make up new words, like “buzzily” and “giggle-wig” and “minglebum.”

“You found her for a reason, Shakespeare, even if you don’t know what that reason is yet,” declared Miss Gertrude. Then she turned and headed home to her larch tree, calling back, “Good night! I’ll bring you some mashed acorns for her in the morning!”

Shakespeare climbed up his elm tree. He sat beside the nest and looked down at the little human creature. In her sleep, Cordelia reached out and held his tail, the way she might have held the hand of someone she trusted very much.

Shakespeare felt a little funny in his chest then. He thought it might have been because of a bad walnut that he’d eaten. But later, much later, he realized why he had felt funny. It was because at that moment he knew Cordelia belonged to him, and he belonged to Cordelia... and that was simply that.

Editorial Reviews

"Sweet and silly....Every bit of this book is a delight"

Booklist

2023-04-12
Cordelia’s home is a treehouse in a large elm tree in New York City’s Central Park.

No one knows where Cordelia came from, but the squirrel Shakespeare finds her as a tiny baby under a shrub and adopts her. By the time she is 8 years old, she is more squirrel than human, moving easily through the branches, leaping from tree to tree, and speaking Chittering. Shakespeare, her beloved father figure, mentor, and teacher, exposes her to the human Shakespeare’s plays at the theater in the park. Groundskeeper Viola Berry is her one human friend, supplying her with necessities. Cordelia often forgets she is human and is curious about people but uncertain around them. When her squirrel-like leaps attract the attention of a gymnastics coach, a series of hilarious events brings her into close contact with human children and adults, sometimes with disastrous results. But the adventure leads to a new appreciation of her unusual life and to Isaac, a new human friend. Cristofori’s detailed black-and-white cartoon illustrations match and enhance the fast-paced tale. Most of the action is set in real locations in Central Park, each with its own special aura, making the park an important character in the tale. Cordelia is inquisitive, confused, lovable, and utterly unique. The fantasy elements of her world are imaginative and charming, if a bit implausible. In the illustrations, Cordelia is light-skinned, Viola presents Black, and Isaac is brown-skinned.

Suspend all disbelief and enjoy being a part of this world. (Fiction/fantasy. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews