Review for Taigh~A Flying Squirrel's Adventure, D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Reviews

I was excited to get this review for my book, Taigh~ A Flying Squirrel's Adventure from Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review, Editor, Donovan's Literary Services. "Taigh~A Flying Squirrel's Adventure adds another fine middle-grade animal-oriented story to author Loralee Evans' widening list of appealing tales. Like Jean Craighead George, who penned numerous books profiling animals for middle grade readers, Evans performs a meaningful and important service in bringing the animal world to life for young minds, even if her writings anthropomorphize wildlife more than Jean George's works. Taigh Squirrel doesn't just fly. He's also an artist who paints what he sees in the forest world around him. Like her character, Loralee Evans reflects words of wisdom given to Taigh by employing her artistry to capture Taigh's motivations, natural world, and squirrel lifestyle. Perhaps her own words best capture the sentiments driving this warm story: "A good painting, Augustus had told Taigh, a smile curving up the corners of his ivory-colored beak, tells a story. It stirs imagination, and helps folks think and wonder and imagine. Let your paintings tell stories." Evans uses word paintings to tell Taigh's story, capturing a world embedded with fairies, quests, art, and insights. As Master Taigh Squirrel (friend of Felicity Sparrow and Augustus Ivory-billed Woodpecker) embarks on an adventure to find out why all the ivory-billed woodpeckers vanished, kids will enjoy the special blend of fantasy and animal facts which exist side-by-side in this enthralling adventure story. From Spanish-speaking bats to questions that Taigh resolves in the course of his experiences, middle graders will find the blend of action, mystery, and natural history compellingly fun. Libraries and readers seeking animal-based fantasies that feature a diminutive squirrel's proactive thinking, artistic talents, and quest will find Taigh~A Flying Squirrel's Adventure a choice that promises high entertainment value, while accompanying reflections on the natural world will lend to young reader book club discussions."