I. ABOUT THE BOOKNuts takes place at Grandma Praline's house during an afternoon when young Wally's family gathers for a special dinner and gift exchange and meet Wally's relatives. While loving, their quirky ways make sensible Wally feel excluded and unwanted.II. WHAT KIDS WILL LIKE:* Characters *Characters soar in this picture book through narrative and artistry. The author cleverly bestows his squirrels with human traits. Each is named after a type of nut and exhibit charming idiosyncrasies found in many families.For instance, teenage cousin Cashew is always on her mobile phone and pays little heed to Wally beyond occasional eye rolls. Little sister Pistachio is obsessed with counting birds. Grandma Praline is warm, caring, and forgetful, repeating the same story at every opportunity about finding a coconut. Wally is the only one who worries about every day things like getting dinner on the table on time and keeping track of presents.* Illustrations *Cosmo's bright, cheerful illustrations bring his zany family to life. He paints a unifying look with their bulging eyes and buckteeth, but then adds unique features and shading that pull personalities to the forefront. Plus, the art pulls children into the story with its details of every day life, squirrel-style. Think sitting down to a linen-covered dinner table to a plateful of corn kernels and squash. I cracked up seeing the meat thermometer inserted into a huge acorn – a primo squirrelly main course -- to test its doneness after roasting in the oven.WHAT FAMILY MEMBERS, TEACHERS WILL LIKEThis charming tale of an eccentric family has deeper undertones of acceptance, tolerance and forgiveness you will want to explore with children. For instance, Wally unknowingly triggers an outburst as he tries to focus cousin Chestnut’s attention on their gift exchange. Snapping his fingers by Chestnut’s ears startles the cousin, and the resulting screams and panic attack were not Wally’s intended consequences. This is a perfect platform for discussing that families embrace handicapable members as well as those who live with people with special needs.And then there’s that endearing moment between Wally and Grandmother Praline. Upset by being missing dinner favorites and not receiving a gift, Wally stomps off. Grandma Praline seeks to comfort him through a spot-on series of questions that dive into his feelings:“... What do you feel inside right now?I don’t know.
Yes you do. What are you feeling?Wally wiped his nose and felt his heart. ‘Mad,’ he said.And what’s under that feeling?I don’t know.You do, sweetheart. Just look at what’s under mad.”It’s a sweet moment for children to observe; a powerful opportunity to help them learn how to deal with disappointment and sadness that can be an integral of being a family.In terms of layout, each page of Nuts is beautifully illustrated with corresponding text blocks underneath. I would have preferred a bit more white space to delineate paragraphs because so much compressed text could overwhelm young readers.MY RECOMMENDATIONAuthor, illustrator A.J. Cosmo pens a charming tale for ages 4-8 that packs a triple punch. Its illustrations and witty dialogue will have children smiling as they learn to understand and accept people for being different.