Squirrel and John Muir by Emily Arnold McCully

Bibliographic Information:

McCully, Emily Arnold. Squirrel and John Muir. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004. Print.

Plot Description: Squirrel and John Muir interweaves historical fact with imagination in this tale of John Muir’s friendship with a young girl in the Yosemite Valley.  Squirrel, as she is affectionately known by her family, is a tomboy who was born in raised in the Sierra wilderness.  Her father owns the first hotel in the area and hires a young John Muir to run a sawmill for him.  In every bit of his spare time, however, John Muir is out exploring the wilderness, talking to flowers, listening to snow – all of which Squirrel finds odd but intriguing.  Their unlikely friendship blossoms as he shows her the wonders of the area and teaches her the deeper lesson of embracing change.

Quantitative Reading Level: Lexile 620, GL 3.3

Qualitative Reading Analysis: The text is organized simply, with a clear storyline told in mostly familiar language.  Sentence structure combines simple with compound sentences, and the beautiful watercolor illustrations directly support interpretation of the text.  Its meaning might be moderately complex for some readers who do not have the background knowledge or life experience to identify with the themes of appreciating nature or the vastness of wilderness.

Content Area: English Language Arts

Content Area Standard(s):

CCSS for Reading Literature, Grade 3: 3) Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events; 7) Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Curriculum Suggestions:  A lesson or unit on environmental education would be well-supported by this text, which can introduce students to John Muir the historical figure, Yosemite and the national park system, and the concept of nature conservation in general.

Supporting Digital Content:

“19^th century Photographs of Yosemite Valley” Slideshow from Smithsonian: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-muirs-yosemite-10737/?no-ist#ooid=k5YjdwOqbLuHeO-oum0zv2z04nV-Wcw_

Subjects/Themes: Nature, plants and animals, conservation, friendship.