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Squirrel's New Year's Resolution
"Do you know how to make a resolution?" Squirrel asked Bear. "Is it like making a snack?"
Bear laughed. "Resolutions are more important than snacks."
"More important than snacks?" said Squirrel. "What is a resolution?"
Squirrel knows that New Year's Day is a great day for making resolutions! But what does it mean to make a resolution, anyway? As she makes visits around the forest she learns about New Year's resolutions and helps her friends get started on theirs. If only she can think of a resolution of her very own...
Bear laughed. "Resolutions are more important than snacks."
"More important than snacks?" said Squirrel. "What is a resolution?"
Squirrel knows that New Year's Day is a great day for making resolutions! But what does it mean to make a resolution, anyway? As she makes visits around the forest she learns about New Year's resolutions and helps her friends get started on theirs. If only she can think of a resolution of her very own...
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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254 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
December 30, 2017
My kids love animals - so this was a good story for them. It's a great book about making a New Year's Resolution and what that is. Squirrel doesn't know how to make one and goes around to her friends who all have one. She is a helpful squirrel.
The art is sweet and the story is soft with no hard edges.
This is a good New Year's story!
The art is sweet and the story is soft with no hard edges.
This is a good New Year's story!
January 2, 2022
Squirrel sets out to discover what a resolution is and how to make one in this New Year's picture-book from author Pat Miller and illustrator Kathi Ember. Visiting her friends on New Year's Day, she learns what each of their resolutions are, and does her best to help them achieve their goals. Discouraged that she has not yet found her own resolution however, Squirrel is comforted when she finds out that her actions over the course of the day, in aiding her woodland friends, reveal a resolution that she is already on the way to keeping. Namely, to ...
Although not entirely convinced by the story premise of Squirrel's New Year's Resolution—I would think that a resolution would have be a conscious goal, rather than an unconscious impulse, but perhaps that's just me—I nevertheless enjoyed the book. The story is sweet, and the artwork cute. Miller and Ember appear to have worked together before, on the 2006 Substitute Groundhog , but this is my first book from either. Unlike the Lunar New Year, I have not encountered very many picture-books about the Solar New Year, so I was glad to have discovered this one, even if it was only moderately enjoyable, rather than outstanding. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy animal stories, or are looking for (solar) New Year's stories.
Although not entirely convinced by the story premise of Squirrel's New Year's Resolution—I would think that a resolution would have be a conscious goal, rather than an unconscious impulse, but perhaps that's just me—I nevertheless enjoyed the book. The story is sweet, and the artwork cute. Miller and Ember appear to have worked together before, on the 2006 Substitute Groundhog , but this is my first book from either. Unlike the Lunar New Year, I have not encountered very many picture-books about the Solar New Year, so I was glad to have discovered this one, even if it was only moderately enjoyable, rather than outstanding. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy animal stories, or are looking for (solar) New Year's stories.
December 21, 2016
This was a cute story that explain what a resolution is very well! A great read to help your child and/or students understand making a New Year's resolution.
April 7, 2016
A cute story with adorable illustrations about new year's resolutions.
December 21, 2013
I grabbed this book because I did doing a "holiday stories and crafts time" at the library, and I wanted some books that weren't just Christmas stories (so I thought Kwanzaa and New Year's, because Hanukkah was last month). Squirrel's New Year's Resolution seemed to fit the bill, but Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas worked better. Squirrel's New Year's Resolution is about Squirrel, who hears on the radio about new year's resolutions. "What is a resolution?" he wonders. "Is it a snack?" He sets out to find out what a resolution is, and then later, to figure out what resolution to make (so I guess you could say he resolves to make a resolution), and along the way, cheers up a sick friend and helps people in other ways. At the end, he realizes that he's already living out a New Year's Resolution: to help people.
This is a nice little book about new year's resolutions and can serve as an introduction as to what they are and how we can make resolutions that are about benefitting others and not just ourselves. Of course, I can't remember making a new year's resolution as a small child, and I doubt that many do, but an interesting concept nonetheless. Nothing to really write home about in regards to the art, but it's nice and colorful.
Ages 4-8
This is a nice little book about new year's resolutions and can serve as an introduction as to what they are and how we can make resolutions that are about benefitting others and not just ourselves. Of course, I can't remember making a new year's resolution as a small child, and I doubt that many do, but an interesting concept nonetheless. Nothing to really write home about in regards to the art, but it's nice and colorful.
Ages 4-8
January 2, 2017
This wonderful story is a perfect catalyst to get kid's (and adults) thinking about what they would want to do differently in the new year that is before them.
Squirrel pins up her brand new 2017 calendar and the voice on the radio says, "It's January first." " A great day to make a resolution." What the heck is a resolution she asks herself? She's never ever heard of one before.
Squirrel decides to make this brand new day, of this brand new month, and this brand new year a visiting day to her many woodland friends. The word resolution keeps echoing in her brain, poking at her, so she begins to ask her friends what a resolution is and if they have made one. To her wonderment Bear, Skunk, Mole and Turtle know its meaning and have their very own personal resolutions all figured out. Poor Squirrel she feels disappointed with herself and confused because she can't think of one resolution that she'd like to make.
Luckily her friends come to her rescue with lots of suggestions and validations of what she does to be a very good friend. They tell her how funny and helpful she is to each one of them and how she always thinks of others first before herself. After some quiet reflection Squirrel knows exactly what her New Year's Resolution will be. What do you think it is? Any ideas? Have you made yours yet? Better get puzzling and then get started on it right away. Happy New Year everyone!
Squirrel pins up her brand new 2017 calendar and the voice on the radio says, "It's January first." " A great day to make a resolution." What the heck is a resolution she asks herself? She's never ever heard of one before.
Squirrel decides to make this brand new day, of this brand new month, and this brand new year a visiting day to her many woodland friends. The word resolution keeps echoing in her brain, poking at her, so she begins to ask her friends what a resolution is and if they have made one. To her wonderment Bear, Skunk, Mole and Turtle know its meaning and have their very own personal resolutions all figured out. Poor Squirrel she feels disappointed with herself and confused because she can't think of one resolution that she'd like to make.
Luckily her friends come to her rescue with lots of suggestions and validations of what she does to be a very good friend. They tell her how funny and helpful she is to each one of them and how she always thinks of others first before herself. After some quiet reflection Squirrel knows exactly what her New Year's Resolution will be. What do you think it is? Any ideas? Have you made yours yet? Better get puzzling and then get started on it right away. Happy New Year everyone!
January 6, 2018
A delightful tale with beautiful illustrations!
January 5, 2021
Nothing spectacular but there are so few new year’s picture books it’s worth a read if you’re looking for this sort of thing. Nice emphasis on helping and thinking of others.
January 7, 2022
Really cute book. I appreciated the characters, and how they were styled - leaves a lot open.
November 12, 2010
Grades PS-2
Squirrel hears on the radio that New Year's Day is a great day to make resolutions but doesn't know what one is. Once she finds out, she is determined to make a resolution of her own, but she can't think of anything. Along the way, she helps several of her friends, and realizes by the end of the story that she can use her natural inclination toward helping her friends to resolve to help someone every day. While the story is a little on the preachy side, it is a good conversation starter about kids' own resolutions for the New Year. Bright and energetic illustrations in acrylics of Squirrel and her friends add to the cheery mood.
Kim Dare
Librarian
Louise Archer Elementary
Squirrel hears on the radio that New Year's Day is a great day to make resolutions but doesn't know what one is. Once she finds out, she is determined to make a resolution of her own, but she can't think of anything. Along the way, she helps several of her friends, and realizes by the end of the story that she can use her natural inclination toward helping her friends to resolve to help someone every day. While the story is a little on the preachy side, it is a good conversation starter about kids' own resolutions for the New Year. Bright and energetic illustrations in acrylics of Squirrel and her friends add to the cheery mood.
Kim Dare
Librarian
Louise Archer Elementary
January 4, 2017
It is good to have a book about New Year's and resolutions. This book could have been better. In fact, this book could have been MUCH better. But, if you need a book about New Year's and resolutions, it might be worth checking this book out from the library.
March 25, 2015
I'm not into New Year's resolutions at all. This book took the concept and made it into something squirrel did naturally and I liked that.
January 3, 2016
Meh. Impulse Amazon buy when I realized oh! I need a lesson for next week and I can't remember if I penciled anything in. It's OK for what it is but I wish I'd just had access to a library copy.
January 6, 2019
I thought this was going to be way cuter than it turned out to be. It missed the mark almost completely for me because it was all over the place and lacked focus. I didn't like the examples used for the other characters' resolutions and the overall story was weakened because of it.
It started out fine, with Squirrel hanging up her Nut-of-the-Month calendar. That was a cute idea.
Bear explained to Squirrel that a resolution is "a promise you make to yourself to be better or to help others." That immediately rubbed me the wrong way, because that is not, by definition, what a resolution is. A resolution is "a firm decision to do or not to do something." It does not mean that you always have to be bettering yourself or helping others, and it's a lie to kids to say otherwise. You don't twist the definition of a word around in order to get kids to do something.
Bear announced that he "resolved" to teach Skunk how to read as soon as she was well. And that's when things took a turn. Squirrel rushed over to see Skunk, who was still sick, with what, we never find out. So Squirrel forgot about a resolution. Skunk was bedridden, until Owl says she's better. I'm not sure how someone else would know that you are feeling better before you yourself do, so that made me take a pause and try to riddle it out.
Squirrel attempted to make Skunk feel better, by suddenly playing hide and seek, except it was called "Hide-and-skunk for some reason," even though Skunk wasn't the one playing the game...so it really made no sense to be called that. So she went to the end of the bed and started popping up and down and saying Boo, and Skunk was giggling and laughing and I just had to stop and wonder what the heck I was reading. It felt SO juvenile! And I was like what does this have to do with a resolution and what kind of an idea is this? It just totally went off the tracks and was so completely random.
Owl appeared all of a sudden and declared that he could tell Skunk was feeling better because of her laugh. So now she could see Bear for reading lessons, as long as she had a healthy lunch...I'm sorry, what kind of illness requires that you appear better just by sight, and that you eat a healthy meal?? What is going on here?
Squirrel thought of lunch but on the way met Mole and Turtle, who "resolved" to make a garden, but couldn't find a spot. So we were off on the second most-random idea. Squirrel climbed a tree and spied a spot beside a river, and then helped them tie off a border for the garden. I found that to be a bad, too-random way of helping out.
She went to the diner, forgetting again about the resolution. She met Porcupine, who was grumpy but "resolved" to be less so and needed ideas for something funny. Squirrel started telling a joke, why did the squirrel run back and forth across the road. The answer was because she was nuts, which was okay, and the image showed Squirrel running with her eyes crossed and tongue out, looking crazy, which was cute. Porcupine told one. "What's striped and bouncy?" and it was Skunk on a trampoline which was just awful.
Skunk showed up at the diner with a book, where Bear happened to be. Idk how she knew he'd be there, or if it was just a coincidence that he happened to be at the diner before she could meet him at the library. Just so random! I felt like so many others things were happening that was sidetracking the main character.
Porcupine had another bad joke. Why did the Bear say caw, caw? He was learning another language.
What?
All of the animals were there giving Squirrel credit for what she had done. Making Skunk feel better, helping Porcupine think of funny jokes, picking out a spot for Mole and Turtle. Rabbit recognized that Squirrel was doing a good job helping someone, except it didn't really make sense that she said Squirrel had resolved to help someone every day. She had helped all of them in one day, but one each day. So what was she talking about??
Squirrel finally had her New Years resolution which was to help someone every day. It was a good lesson for kids to think of others and hopefully have them learn how to make a meaningful New Years resolution and not something shallow or selfish. A good message but these ideas were all over the place. I wish the side characters had better resolutions themselves. None of them had resolutions to help anyone except Bear! So that didn't illustrate the point at all! It missed the mark for me and wasn't the New Years story I was looking for.
It started out fine, with Squirrel hanging up her Nut-of-the-Month calendar. That was a cute idea.
Bear explained to Squirrel that a resolution is "a promise you make to yourself to be better or to help others." That immediately rubbed me the wrong way, because that is not, by definition, what a resolution is. A resolution is "a firm decision to do or not to do something." It does not mean that you always have to be bettering yourself or helping others, and it's a lie to kids to say otherwise. You don't twist the definition of a word around in order to get kids to do something.
Bear announced that he "resolved" to teach Skunk how to read as soon as she was well. And that's when things took a turn. Squirrel rushed over to see Skunk, who was still sick, with what, we never find out. So Squirrel forgot about a resolution. Skunk was bedridden, until Owl says she's better. I'm not sure how someone else would know that you are feeling better before you yourself do, so that made me take a pause and try to riddle it out.
Squirrel attempted to make Skunk feel better, by suddenly playing hide and seek, except it was called "Hide-and-skunk for some reason," even though Skunk wasn't the one playing the game...so it really made no sense to be called that. So she went to the end of the bed and started popping up and down and saying Boo, and Skunk was giggling and laughing and I just had to stop and wonder what the heck I was reading. It felt SO juvenile! And I was like what does this have to do with a resolution and what kind of an idea is this? It just totally went off the tracks and was so completely random.
Owl appeared all of a sudden and declared that he could tell Skunk was feeling better because of her laugh. So now she could see Bear for reading lessons, as long as she had a healthy lunch...I'm sorry, what kind of illness requires that you appear better just by sight, and that you eat a healthy meal?? What is going on here?
Squirrel thought of lunch but on the way met Mole and Turtle, who "resolved" to make a garden, but couldn't find a spot. So we were off on the second most-random idea. Squirrel climbed a tree and spied a spot beside a river, and then helped them tie off a border for the garden. I found that to be a bad, too-random way of helping out.
She went to the diner, forgetting again about the resolution. She met Porcupine, who was grumpy but "resolved" to be less so and needed ideas for something funny. Squirrel started telling a joke, why did the squirrel run back and forth across the road. The answer was because she was nuts, which was okay, and the image showed Squirrel running with her eyes crossed and tongue out, looking crazy, which was cute. Porcupine told one. "What's striped and bouncy?" and it was Skunk on a trampoline which was just awful.
Skunk showed up at the diner with a book, where Bear happened to be. Idk how she knew he'd be there, or if it was just a coincidence that he happened to be at the diner before she could meet him at the library. Just so random! I felt like so many others things were happening that was sidetracking the main character.
Porcupine had another bad joke. Why did the Bear say caw, caw? He was learning another language.
What?
All of the animals were there giving Squirrel credit for what she had done. Making Skunk feel better, helping Porcupine think of funny jokes, picking out a spot for Mole and Turtle. Rabbit recognized that Squirrel was doing a good job helping someone, except it didn't really make sense that she said Squirrel had resolved to help someone every day. She had helped all of them in one day, but one each day. So what was she talking about??
Squirrel finally had her New Years resolution which was to help someone every day. It was a good lesson for kids to think of others and hopefully have them learn how to make a meaningful New Years resolution and not something shallow or selfish. A good message but these ideas were all over the place. I wish the side characters had better resolutions themselves. None of them had resolutions to help anyone except Bear! So that didn't illustrate the point at all! It missed the mark for me and wasn't the New Years story I was looking for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2018
cute new years story
January 5, 2021
I like the animals and I LOVE that the story starts with Squirrel turning over her "Nut of the Month" calendar. It was a little long for virtual first graders, but it did explain resolutions succinctly and had a cute message and plot!
February 6, 2021
Que bonitinhoooo! Fofura de livro!
January 2, 2022
Very nice story that I read with my son!
December 2, 2017
As advertised.
March 2, 2015
This story is about a squirrel who is excited that it is January first. Squirrel learns what a New Year’s resolution and sets out to make one for herself. Along the way, she helps Skunk feel better, Mole and Turtle plant a garden, and Porcupine tell jokes. Squirrel feels sad that she is the only one without a New Year’s resolution. However, Rabbit tells Squirrel that she made a resolution without knowing it. Squirrel’s resolution is to help someone every single day.
This book has a fantastic lesson for children. One lesson in this book is that actions speak louder than words. Rabbit explains this to Squirrel when they are sitting in the diner and Squirrel does not think she has a resolution. Rabbit tells Squirrel that she did not even realize she had a resolution. Rabbit says that Squirrel’s resolution is to help someone every day. I think this resolution sends a good message to young students because everyone should try to help others every day.
This story uses unique and entertaining word choice. The calendar that Squirrel hung up in her room is the “Nut-of-the-Month” calendar. The author does a good job of keeping the animals in their characters and relating everything in the book back to what they are. In addition, Skunk likes to play hide-and-skunk. The author took hide-and-seek and related it to the skunk character. This choice of words makes this book entertaining and interesting.
The illustrations in this story are timeless. After looking through the illustrations multiple times, there is always something new to see. For example, Squirrel has nuts in every single bowl and drawer of her room. In addition, the menu in the diner says, “Hidden Hole Diner”. The illustrations are also unique because the animal characters have human like characteristics. The illustrator altered the faces of the animals to make them more relatable to humans.
This book has a fantastic lesson for children. One lesson in this book is that actions speak louder than words. Rabbit explains this to Squirrel when they are sitting in the diner and Squirrel does not think she has a resolution. Rabbit tells Squirrel that she did not even realize she had a resolution. Rabbit says that Squirrel’s resolution is to help someone every day. I think this resolution sends a good message to young students because everyone should try to help others every day.
This story uses unique and entertaining word choice. The calendar that Squirrel hung up in her room is the “Nut-of-the-Month” calendar. The author does a good job of keeping the animals in their characters and relating everything in the book back to what they are. In addition, Skunk likes to play hide-and-skunk. The author took hide-and-seek and related it to the skunk character. This choice of words makes this book entertaining and interesting.
The illustrations in this story are timeless. After looking through the illustrations multiple times, there is always something new to see. For example, Squirrel has nuts in every single bowl and drawer of her room. In addition, the menu in the diner says, “Hidden Hole Diner”. The illustrations are also unique because the animal characters have human like characteristics. The illustrator altered the faces of the animals to make them more relatable to humans.
January 24, 2014
Squirrel learns that on January 1 everyone should make a resolution…but he doesn't know what that is. Through wonderful illustrations and a medium amount of text (there are a number of jokes thrown in, so my story time audience followed through to the end) Squirrel visits friends to try and find out what these "resolutions" are, so that he can make one. My story time audience especially loved the jokes, like these two:
'why did the surreal run back and forth across the road? Because he was nuts!' and
"What's black with a white stripe and bouncy? A skunk on a trampoline!'
This was a fun read aloud, even with young children.
'why did the surreal run back and forth across the road? Because he was nuts!' and
"What's black with a white stripe and bouncy? A skunk on a trampoline!'
This was a fun read aloud, even with young children.
December 2, 2012
This would be a good book to use for your students (K-5) at the end of the semester in December to talk about New Year's Resolutions. This book does a good job of explaining clearly of what it is and how you can learn to come up with one of your own. For an activity AND extension, you could have the children come up with their own New Year's Resolutions and have them write about it and how they are going to accomplish it. This is great for character building, making goals for THEMSELVES, and working on their writing too!
June 29, 2012
Who: 1st to 3rd
This was a fun, cute story that introduces what a New Year's Resolution is. The animal characters in the story (bear, turtle, mole, etc.) are all happily illustrated and portrayed as helpful and kind to eachother. In the end Squirrel realizes he made a resolution after all "Your actions are better than words. It looks like you resolved to help someone every day." Good way to start the conversation: How can we help people each day?
This was a fun, cute story that introduces what a New Year's Resolution is. The animal characters in the story (bear, turtle, mole, etc.) are all happily illustrated and portrayed as helpful and kind to eachother. In the end Squirrel realizes he made a resolution after all "Your actions are better than words. It looks like you resolved to help someone every day." Good way to start the conversation: How can we help people each day?
September 19, 2014
Squirrel is a little girl who "feels like a nut" and wants to find meaning in life. All she has to ask is: "What's a resolution? Can you make a resolution like you would a snack?" Boy will she get a snack! She will learn as other fictional characters have before her that acts of kindness come from inside, and THAT, my friends, is the best New Year's Resolution to make! Commitment to kindness is the key. Now you can use it to open new doors.
January 28, 2017
When squirrel hears the newscaster urge people to make a New Year's resolution, he sets off to for the library to learn what a resolution is. As squirrel visits his friends, and helps them out with a variety of things, he finds out all of them have New Year's resolutions too! Squirrel continues on his way, all the while thinking about what kind of New Year's resolution he should make. What kind of New Year's resolution do you think squirrel will think up?
October 14, 2012
Squirrel wants to make a resolution for the new year. She visits her friends to find they have all already made resolutions and are trying to keep them. I like how this book shows how much impact Squirrel has on her friends, without her realizing it. Also, I love how Bear the librarian is the first friend she visits!
July 25, 2014
This was a pretty cute story for my 8-year-old. He didn't know what it meant to make a resolution so we were able to read the book and talk about it. It was nice to see the ways Squirrel helped people and how they really appreciated it.
June 1, 2012
Squirrel has a hard time coming up with a New Year's Resolution especially when all his animal friends have already made theirs. When he begins to help out with each of them, he finds he has made a resolution without even thinking about it.
March 21, 2011
Squirrel cannot think of a New Year's resolution until she realizes that by helping her friends, she has made one after all. www.hcpl.net
January 13, 2011
Great book to share at the beginning of every New Year.
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