The Right Place

by Beatrice Masini, Simona Mulazzani (Illustrator)

A lonely squirrel goes searching for a new home, only to discover that the best place is one where the whole community can live together. Joining Barefoot’s acclaimed collection of social-emotional titles, this tale offers the perfect opportunity to start conversations about coping with loneliness, the importance of community, and what makes a place feel like home. Beautiful illustrations by award-winning Italian artist Simona Mulazzani bring Squirrel’s journey to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Friendship, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2020

About the author

Beatrice Masini è una giornalista, traduttrice e scrittrice italiana.

Ha vinto il Premio Pippi con Signore e Signorine - Elsa Morante Ragazzi per La spada e il cuore - Donne della Bibbia e il Premio Andersen - Il mondo dell'infanzia come miglior autore.

È anche conosciuta per aver tradotto i libri della saga di Harry Potter della scrittrice britannica J. K. Rowling per la versione italiana distribuita dall' Adriano Salani.

Wikipedia

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a long restorative nap, Squirrel awakens to find his nest cluttered and uncomfortable. He sets off into the woods to find better accommodations. As he encounters various woodland animals, he seeks out their advice about the best place for someone to live. But although the advice is valuable, it is also confusing, and he ends up enlisting his friends' help in creating a place where they can all live together. Like so many of us, Squirrel has realized that the right place has nothing to do with location but quite a lot to do with whom is living there. Squirrel has fashioned a home for his friends and himself. The illustrations, created with acrylics, pencils, pens, and collage, fit the story very well and bring the animals to life as they go about their daily lives. This picture book originally published in Italy, would be useful in a lesson about the meaning of home and community.

[Mrs. Mazzola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about building community and living in a diverse world. Great for an SEL story time.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

THE RIGHT PLACE is a picture book that stresses the importance of friends and home. Squirrel wakes up after a long winter of hibernation to find his home messy and cluttered. He sets out in search of a home he would like more, but he is not sure what the right place would be. He asks different animals, and their answers are all different- inside, above, and below, and nests and holes. Then Squirrel has an idea and creates a home that has all of those elements, and he realizes that home is where his friends are.

What I loved: This is a simple story of finding home where the heart is. The illustrations are quite unique with an artistic style and animals dressed in clothing. The idea of sharing and being with friends is one that will resonate with children.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the text is pretty dense on each page spread that would make this a little too lengthy for the youngest readers. It would be better suited to elementary-aged readers.

Final verdict: Overall, THE RIGHT PLACE is a sweet story about finding home with the people (or animals in this case) you love.

Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Squirrel wakes up from his winter hibernation, he has a strong feeling that his hole in a tree is no longer "the right place". He asks all the forest animals what they think the "right place" is. The bird says a nest. The turtle just says "Inside" and goes into her shell. The mole says underground is the best place. Squirrel needs to find a way to bring all his forest friends together, because the "right place" is when they are all together.

I liked this cute book, and the journey that Squirrel takes to discover a place that feels comfortable for him and his friends. It's a really lovely story with a good message. I like the repetition as Squirrel asks various animals the same question. Repetition is so great for young readers!

The illustrations are sweet and I like the simple designs. The colors are calming and make me feel like I'm in a cool green forest. There are some nice details in the background that make the artwork really special.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Het boekenrijk · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 'The Right Place' written by Beatrice Masini and illustrated by Simona Mulazzani, Squirrel doesn't feel at home anymore in his hole. He decides to look for the right place and asks a little help from his friends in the forest. All of his friends need a different home. But squirrel has a plan and finds a home that suits everybody and together they build a community.
The illustrations are very detailed and colourful, and children will love them very much. The story describes the characteristics of the different animals accurately.
A beautiful book about finding your place in society and building a community with people different from yourself.
To be published 15th March 2020.
Thank you to Barefoot Books for the review copy!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking up from his winter sleep - squirrel doesn't feel like his hole in the tree is the right place anymore, and he sets out looking for a new Right Place. He asks all his friends, and gets different versions of "right place" from each of them. Put together, all their answers don't make sense for squirrel. But, with everyone helping, Squirrel turns the perfect tree into a home for everyone.

Translated from Italian, this sweet story of friendship and home was delightful. I liked the design of the book, with pictures and text alternating sides, and the illustrations were beautiful. The animals wore clothes and used tools, but otherwise behaved like animals. Looking forward to sharing this with my grandchildren.

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Aftin Combs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet book about finding and setting up a community. I liked that everyone's needs were put on equal ground and well represented in the end. The art was cute. I particularly liked the mole and thought she was just adorable.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely squirrel searching for a new home discover that the best place is one where the whole community can live together.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Squirrel searches for a home and finds a space where many creatures can live together. I get the point of the book but just wasn't wowed by the text or the illustrations.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably too long for storytime but you could make it a puppet book, that usually helps hold their attention for longer.