Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door

K-Gr 4—In this funny follow-up to Those Darn Squirrels (Clarion, 2008), Grumpy Old Man Fookwire is not only beleaguered by crafty squirrels, but he also has to contend with new neighbors. Little Old Lady Hu's cat, Muffins, is "a real jerk" who terrifies Fookwire's beloved birds and gives the squirrels "wedgies." While Fookwire writes a letter of complaint to the mayor, the squirrels hatch a plan. Muffins gets his comeuppance when he walks into a booby trap and is doused with a gallon of water. Underneath all his fluffy bluster, the cat is revealed to be "nothing but a skinnymalink." Salmieri's droll watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations capture the eccentric cast of characters, from the bald, beakish Fookwire painting pictures of birds "till he got blisters on his fingers" to the merry band of squirrels dropping in through Fookwire's mail slot to finish his crossword puzzles. A quirky read-aloud choice.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada