Those Darn Squirrels Fly South

Those Darn Squirrels

by Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)

From the creators of Dragons Love Tacos comes the third off-the-wall comedy featuring Old Man Fookwire, a lot of birds, and those darn squirrels.

Old Man Fookwire's one pleasure in life is painting the birds in his backyard. When fall arrives and the birds fly south, Fookwire is desolate. The squirrels are Where are the birds going, and what do they do once they get there? With their usual ingenuity and engineering skills, the squirrels devise a way to follow the birds to their destination, a tropical paradise.A wonderful time is had by all—all but grumpy Old Man Fookwire, alone at home. But the squirrels have a solution for that, too!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Birds, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2012

About the author

Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books, including the Those Darn Squirrels trilogy, Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, Secret Pizza Party, Robo-Sauce and El Chupacabras (winner of the 2020 Texas Blue Bonnet award). In between writing projects, he designs and collects optical illusions, puzzles and games. His favorite color is blue, his favorite food is fried chicken, and his favorite animal is the otter. Adam currently lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Jim Erekson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read the first book in this series, so I was a little surprised by the sudden turn in vocabulary about ten pages in. I thought the illustrations were just going to be kind of minimalist and otherworldly, but then 'floogle birds' and 'farfle seeds'. It just wasn't needed.

There are some funny gags in here (Santa Vaca, 12 miles per hour, etc.). Not much of a plot: The squirrels head south with the birds, they phone the guy, the guy comes, then they all go home. Is that a spoiler? Rubin & Salmieri go for the comedy all in the characterization and the straight man / comic setup.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Those Darn Squirrels Fly South" is the third book in the children’s series of “Those Darn Squirrels."  In this delightful children’s book we once again find Mr. Fookwire feeling grumpy and lonely as his beloved birds fly south for the winter.  He would normally have the neighborhood squirrels to keep him company, but they have decided to follow the birds south and see where they go.  A fun look at the engineering accomplishments of the flying machines made by the squirrels is just the start of the adventures as they determine to find where and what the birds do for the long winter months.  In the end, Mr. Fookwire is invited to join in on the fun and has a little more than he bargained for. 

Fun illustrations and a very funny story line make this book as enjoyable for adults as it does for children.

Deborah A. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old Man Fookwire is sad to see the birds head south as fall arrives. After all, he loves watching and painting them as they hang out in his backyard. But the squirrels who seem to always plague him craft various flying machines that enable them to follow the birds in order to find out where they are going and what they are up to. Missing the birds--and, secretly, the squirrels too--Old Man Fookwire follows them and paints the exotic birds and beach-front locale before returning home with the squirrels in charge. I laughed so hard at the illustration of the cranky old man with squirrels wrapped all around him, even hiding in his pants, draped on top of his head, and clutching his legs in welcome. Even the most grumpy reader won't be able to resist this sweet story about a surprising friendship and the watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations that accompany it. After all, everyone needs a break from work, and a vacation with those darn squirrels.

[Amy Jewell]

A good opening for this book would be to ask the students why they thought squirrels might want to fly south (in the winter). In addition, I would ask the students to think about other animals that fly south for the winter (birds). Lastly I would ask them to share a way the squirrels might "fly" south-they don't have wings!

Opening moves include: raising questions in the readers minds (why would the squirrels fly south), activating background knowledge (what other animals fly south), and also prompt the students to hypothesize about the situation (how will those squirrels fly???).

I chose this book because the other three books in this text set are about cold winter weather-snow storms and blizzards. This book is about what winter is like in Mexico. It is much different from snow storms-you can swim at the beach, play outside, and wear shorts during Mexico's winter.

[Lynda Shoup]

Hilarious book! This is one of those books that is a perfect match between author and illustrator. The story is delightful with unexpected twists and the illustrations bring it to life with hysterical detail. I kept laughing and laughing. Somehow it reminded me of one of my favorite books - Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. They are not quite the same, but somehow they could sit together on a display.

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

You gotta love a grumpy guy named Fookwire who reminded me of an exclamation, Ooogley Moogley! And then there's the squirrels; those pesky but very entertaining yard hoods.

Very fun read. I'd love to read it to a child.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wright Brothers had nothing on these crazy, inventive squirrels.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

BONUS SILLY BIRD NAMES. Yaaasss!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series. Those Darn Squirrels introduced us to Old Man Fookwire, a grumpy old man who loves birds but is plagued by clever squirrels that eat the seed he puts out for the birds. In Those Darn Squirrels Fly South Old Man Fookwire is sad because he knows the birds will be flying south as fall arrives. Normally he is left to deal with the pesky squirrels when the birds leave, but this year the squirrels have new plans. Not many know this, but squirrels have a wonderful understanding of aerodynamic engineering. They have built gyro-copter’s from pine cones, gliders from leaves, and a zeppelin from an old shopping bag. Why? They want to know where the birds go for the winter, so they plan to follow them. Old Man Fookwire is sad to see the birds fly away but the sadness turns to shock when he also sees the squirrels fly away. Is it possible that Fookwire will end up missing “those darn squirrels?” Surely not! But he may have some plans of his own.

Cons: None

Pros: Not only are the illustrations kid and adult friendly, this humorous story is one that adults won’t mind reading over and over. For those who really study the illustrations, look for the one bird that resembles Old Man Fookwire

[Ro Menendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasons to love:

- softens the reader to those we have in our life who are by nature grumpy, creates understanding and an awareness of the balance those who are super energized add to our lives
- the squirrels are inventive and will inspire young Makers to create similar or original critter flying machines
- a conversation starter on how our words of admiration for the new and unknown, even when well intentioned, may hurt those who are permanent fixtures in our lives
- super funny story and illustrations!

[Anna W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting idea, and I see this book is part of a series, but this one did not meet the mark for me. The squirrels seem silly and fun, but the plot of this is pretty basic: squirrels leave, man visits after feeling mildly lonely, he gets a sunburn, and they all come home. Overall theme isn’t clear and basic plot is underwhelming.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the birds fly south for the winter, the squirrels decide to follow leaving grumpy Old Man Fookwire alone. The squrrels are having such a good time that they invite Fookmire to join them, which he decides to do. Much to his surprise Old Man Fookmire enjoys himself, and the squirrels even get a laugh out of Fookmire.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the sequel to the awesome book Those Darn Squirrels. In this one, the old man goes south and squirrels begin to miss him. The squirrels then go south to be with the man. Do the squirrels cause the man trouble or do they enjoy themselves? Find out in the book.

[Libbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read with my second graders. We had already read Those Darn Squirrels and they knew all about the relationship between the squirrels, the birds, and Old Man Fookwire. It was fun to watch how the relationship progressed, in addition to how my students loved it!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it was a cute book, and a nice addition to the first in the series, I didn't like it very much. It had a plot, it had mild humor, but the illustrations are a little sharp and unattractive for my taste in childrens' books.

[Danielle Mootz · Rating 4 out of 5]

These darn squirrels book are so darn funny. Maybe it's because we know someone that the guy reminds us of so much. Maybe it's because the squirrels at our house are completely nuts. Either way we think these books are hilarious.

[Set · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grumpy old man Fookwire is still upset with the nature around him except for those birds he loves so much. He decides to take a vacation during the winter months to visit the birds where they migrate to.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed every book in this series. The grumpy old man doesn't like the squirrels (except he kind of does), and he misses them when they decide to fly south with the birds for the winter. So cute, love the story and the pictures.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun one that has been on repeat for a few weeks. The squirrels are funny and the illustrations are well done. The story line follows Fookwire when the birds he loves so much fly south for the winter. What will those silly squirrels do and how will it impact him?

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those Darn Squirrels Fly South by Adam Rubin – This is on kindle unlimited. The continued misadventures of a gang of maniacal, mechanical squirrels and their grumpy neighbor continue to delight me! Happy Reading!

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still laughing out loud

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute read. Kids will enjoy it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story about flying, birds, seasons, migration, and just silly. Great illustrations.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't quite strike my funny bone as strongly as did the first two _Those Darn Squirrels_ stories. Fun continuation, but without the laugh-out-loud moments I enjoyed in the other two stories.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute follow up to Those Darn Squirrels.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. If you like Rubin's style (Dragon's Love Tacos) then you should check this one out.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linc and I love these books

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 year old “I’m not going to read it a lot of times, but I liked it”

[Rachel Arnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhh

Cute illustrations but a pretty lame story. The kids just didn’t get the hidden humor. There is a lack of detail.

[Elijah Pearse · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s funny when the squirrels build their flying machines to fly south