Better Together! by Amy RobachMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
My Valentine's Day pick for 2025 is this 2021 story about a charming little blended family. During a terrible storm the Squirrel mother and Chipmunk father and their children are forced to flee their homes. They meet in the middle of a hollow tree where they are forced to shelter in place for several days. During that time a new family formed. They eventually learn that they are Better Together!
I love this book because it's the children who sort of fall for each other. Both groups of kids find new playmates, new foods, and new talents that they didn't know they had. They are better together, and move in the hollow of the tree.
What I liked is that the transition isn't easy. As is typical in these situations they bulk at each other's differences at first. The new family doesn't eat the same foods, play the same games, or live the same way. When the grumping becomes too much the parents separate the kids.
What I didn't like. I know the solution, blending the family, was kind of the point of the story.
But it seemed a little sudden to me. When it's time to go back home they discover they old homes are not as full, not as bright, not as interesting without their new friends. But instead of visiting each other for a while, they make the bold decision to move in with each other permently. Seems a big leap, but again I know that's the point.
If you you enjoyed this story as much as I did please check it out from your local library or purchase it using my Amazon Associates Link
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