Chipmunk Story

Click on image to enlarge. Cover Image: © Kathy M. Miller. Used here with permission. All rights reserved.  

Does your  kid like chipmunks? Like seeing them doing adorable things like stuffing their little cheeks and washing their faces? Then he or she will get a real kick out of the picture book Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden. Kathy M. Miller, the book's author and a professional photographer, spent two years taking pictures of a chipmunk who visited her yard. Her dedication paid off in some Cute Overload-worthy photographs.

Chippy talks and thinks like a human, though Miller does weave a bit of factual material, too. "[The chipmunk] surprised a flicker who was feeding on ants. 'Ants! Yuck!' squealed Chippy. 'Grubs are my favorite bugs.'

An editor might have tightened the text and made some other changes to this self-published book, but the photos are what count. Chippy sniffs flowers, drinks from a birdbath, and munches on a peanut. Awww.

Recommended for four to eight year olds, especially the animal-loving crowd and fans of such tales as Earl the Squirrel. 

Books Mentioned

Miller, Kathy M. Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden. Celtic Sunrise, 2009. ISBN-13: 978-0984089307

Freeman, Don. Earl the Squirrel. Viking Books, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0670060191

I bought my copy of Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden at the Fat Robin Wild Bird and Nature Shop , in Hamden, Connecticut. The store carries an assortment of nature guides and other books in addition to binoculars, spotting scopes, and bird-feeding supplies.

Comments

[elaine clayton]

I myself love watching chipmunks, so this is the book for me! Thank you so much for highlighting it (and Hamden).

Elaine

[Susan (Chicken Spaghetti)]

Elaine, that shop is Hamden is great, and the owners were very helpful. One owner is a professional bird & wildlife photographer. They had seen the chipmunk book at a Hawk Watch festival and knew it would be good for their store.

[Kathy Miller (author/photographer)]

Elaine, it's a fun book you can use to share your interest in chipmunks and nature with children. When I do class visits, I challenge kids to take pictures of things in their own backyard and create stories from them. Today even children in primary grades have cameras. I hope my book inspires children to spend time in nature being creative!

[The BEDBUG Blog]

This looks to be adorable. I've always loved chipmunks and their playful nature. We had a chipmunk come to visit and we actually called him chippy.