Allie the Albino Squirrel

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Allie the Albino Squirrel by E.K. McCoy is a wonderful children's book about acceptance that will appeal to fans of The Berenstain Bears and the TV show Arthur. The story revolves around Allie, who is about t0 go to her first day of kindergarten. Unlike other children, Allie is the only albino squirrel in the whole woods. She's scared that the other children will make fun of the color of her fur.

Overall, Allie the Albino Squirrel is an absolutely lovely children's book that will teach children about acceptance, being brave, and conquering your fears. One highlight of this book is the adorable artwork. The pictures are cute, lovely, and detailed, which is all you can ask for from a book. Another highlight is the light-hearted story, which never veers into bullying or anything unpleasant. If you're intrigued by the description, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

This book is simply adorable! I loved both the message and the illustrations and I loved that the author gave Allie qualities like empathy and a sense of humor that made her a strong character independent of her looks.

The dialogue was very positive and sweet but not too preachy. I did find one typo ... no need for a possessive in the sentence that begins "Our brother's play together ..."

First off, I want to say that I absolutely love the premise of this book and the idea of embracing and loving one’s own differences! I think many children struggle with feeling different, and seeing characters like Allie can be helpful for them to process their own similar experiences. I’m not sure if it was the font itself or the formatting of it within the book, but some pages felt like there was too much text per page, and it was a little difficult to read when it ran over the colored illustrations themselves. All in all I think it was a cute concept for a book and would enjoy reading with younger students & children!

This was a good book overall. The illustrations were interesting. I liked the fact that it showed a situation where another child asked about her fur instead of just pretending like no one would ever notice it.

Cute illustrations and story! Wonderful message about being unique or different. This may be best for middle school ages. Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to Atmosphere Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Allie the Albino Squirrel is the story of a young girl squirrel who is worried about her first day of school because she’s the only albino squirrel she knows. Her mom has a meaningful conversation with her, which gives Allie the confidence to go to school the next day. While at school, Allie makes a friend who wants to know all about Allie, including about her fur. Allie comes home from school feeling happy about making a new friend.

This book is a wonderful book for children on the verge of entering school, or early elementary age. It would be a great book to read to all children to prompt important conversations about perceived differences and the importance of inclusion. It’s refreshing to see a book talk about a “difference” and embracing it rather than pretending that it doesn’t exist.

The illustrations/artwork are cute and fun, and match the mood of the story well. Overall, I recommend this book.

Really enjoyed reading this story too my children! Great message and the realistic backgrounds with comic characters were really cool!

Allie is a little different, in her woodland community she is the only albino squirrel. As she enters kindergarten she has normal fears plus the added fear of being seen as different. I like that this book offers an opportunity to explore diversity through animals. I also like that the “child” worrying about exclusion is white. I think that it is a different approach than the standard BIPOC character facing diversity. Perhaps it is a chance for a new perspective without having to place the weight again on BIPOC children. I think this book would fit nicely in any preschool or K-2 classroom, and for families of children in that age range. It would be a great book to add to a “back to school” or “starting Kindergarten” collection as well as being a link to discussions about diversity and inclusion.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!

Thank you to Atmosphere Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Allie is a squirrel with a different color fur on the verge of starting school. I feel like this would be the perfect read for a child who is on the verge of starting school, dealing with feelings of being different among their peers, and overall a good read for any young child. The story was entertaining enough to hold the attention of a child but also weaves in important life lessons that children can understand.

Allie squirrel is different from all the other squirrels around her. She is an albino and completely white in colour. She is white as the winter's snow. She is about to go off to start kindergarten and she is very nervous about her appearance and what others may think of her. What if the other squirrels shun her because of her unique colour and no one will be her friend because she is white?

Sensing her daughter's feelings of apprehension and nervousness Momma assures her daughter that the colour of her fur does not define who she is. Momma goes on to tell Allie that she has a caring heart, is fun when she is silly, she' s honest, creative and loves to dance. After their conversation together Allie has confidence to face her fears and to head off to school the next morning. She knows now that she is a beautiful little squirrel inside AND outside.

At school Allie makes a new friend named Bree, who tells Allie her fur is different and oh so very beautiful. Bree sees past their physical differences and recognizes the kindness and warmth that is in Allie's heart...all the qualities that make a BFF!

The illustrations are wonderful and the message of the book is positive and inspiring. This is a book about acceptance (not only accepting yourself as you are but also being accepted by others), and about friendship. Kid's will love this heartwarming story. I highly recommend this book.

Most kids worry about what makes them different, and for Allie, it’s her white fur. In E.K. McCoy’s new picture book, Allie the Albino Squirrel, the focus is on acceptance and embracing what makes us unique.

Starting her first day of Kindergarten, Allie is nervous that the other kids might not like her, based simply on her looks. As she notices others’ differences, she realizes that these unique qualities are what makes each of us special. And it definitely helps to have a confident new friend to drive these thoughts home.

Adorable illustrations by Ghazal Qadri will grab the attention of everyone in the room, and I’m sure Allie the Albino Squirrel will be a mainstay on library shelves.

I thought this book was not only adorable, but also came with a great lesson. My daughter really enjoyed this, and loved the illustrations. Definitely recommend.

Allie the Albino Squirrel is a charming children's book with wholesome themes. Every kid will struggle with insecurities about aspects of themselves, and this book offers good perspective to assist in a child's introspection of those qualities that they're unsure about. The message comes from the context of a loving and supportive family, and teaches self-love as well.

For the most part, the art is adorable and nice, but I wasn't a fan of the scenes that use photographs of backgrounds with the characters drawn in. I doubt that this is something that a child will notice though, so as far as the intended audience goes, that's a non-issue.

Children often struggle with accepting differences both in themselves and in others. This book is a celebration of differences. With a strong message of embracing the things that set us apart and loving who we are, McCoy has crafted a tale that will help children learn to be who they are and not dislike the things that make them different than the other kids they see every day.

Allie the squirrel doesn't have brown fur like the rest of her family and friends. Instead, she is albino with snowy white fur. She laments over this differences and is often very upset by the fact that she looks different and stands out compared to other squirrels. She learns to fight her insecurities and love herself.

The illustrations were a cute twist, with cartoon characters drawn or photoshopped over photographs or real life backgrounds. Kids will enjoy the contrast, almost as if the cartoons came to life in our world.

There were some minor things that I wished were different, like different qualities mentioned by mom instead of ones that were more feminine, but that was a minor thing overall that only an adult would really notice. Overall, a great book for families.

Allie"s biggest fear of going to school was that her fur was a different color than the other squirrel's fur Allies's mom thought her fur was a beautiful color and often told Allie Allie that her uniquness was what made her a pretty little squirrel. Allle's mom reassured her daughter that school was fun and Allie's fur coloring was not a big deal. In fact, Allie"s first day was more than she would expect, and mommy was right.

'E.K McCoy and Ghazal Qadrlal s illustrations taught the lesson that fur/skin colors does not matter and children just want to play. The lesson taught through this charming picture book would fit in both a school and home library. Thank you Atmosphere Press, E.K. McCoy, Ghazal Qadrl, aand NetGalley for the oppurtunity to read and write an honest rview.

A classic story of not fitting in and how to ensure you aren't defined by any one thing. McCoy clearly has spent lots of time with children - this work shines with insight and care. Illustrations were cute and my 5 year old daughter very much enjoyed it! It is already on our next Ingram order for our library!

This is a cute book with adorable illustrations. I think kids of all ages will definitely enjoy this book.