Gray Squirrel Loses It!

by Cassandra Federman

Welcome to the forest, where a fact-filled tour awaits. That is…until a frantic squirrel bursts onto your page searching for his misplaced nut. Help him find it in this hilarious picture book, perfect for fans of The Leaf Thief and The Interrupting Chicken.

Gray Squirrel has a problem. He can’t find his nut, and he’s desperate for help. So desperate that he’s going to interrupt this autumnal tour of the forest, where cardinals eat berries that turn their feathers red, white-tailed deer lose their antlers, and wood frogs freeze... Yeah, all of that might be fascinating, but Squirrel needs his nut!

With a funny, exasperated hero like that of The Very Impatient Caterpillar, this meta picture book inspired by real squirrel behavior (caching!) delivers crowd-pleasing laughs as Gray Squirrel searches for his beloved nut and accidentally plants a tree. But this isn’t the first lost nut, and it won’t be the last…Hello, forest!

Hilarious speech-balloon dialogue makes this a dynamic and fun read-aloud—and the back of the book includes bonus educational material like additional forest facts, a food web diagram, and a bear safety song!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Storytime, Nature

40 pages, Library Binding

First published October 21, 2025

About the author

Cassandra is an award-winning author/illustrator who grew up reading comic books, playing with action figures, and drawing superheroes. Over the course of her life, she has been many things — a hand model, a wrestler, a manatee rescuer, an actor, and a mystic wood elf — but her favorite so far has been an author/illustrator.

Reviews

[Cheryl Gladfelter]

Getting to the last page spread and seeing the drawing of the mouse with X eye in the belly of the snake, while accurate to nature, was not what I was expecting in this squirrel story. RIP little mouse. Had to go back and see if the snake was sneaking up on the mouse in the background, and spent much more time thinking about this tiny image than about the squirrel and about how he buries nuts which end up turning into trees.

[Kamilla Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious story, framed as a nature tour interrupted by a squirrel, will keep kids laughing as they learn how trees grow and gain a greater appreciation for the interconnections in ecosystems.

[Emma D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humor is a huge mood in this book, because it had me laughing out loud in a library. It is so close to how many humans minds work that it was very fun to see on paper.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious and adorable loved it

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers are invited on a tour of the forest in this lively picture book, illustrated with finger paints and digital tools that make the panels look just like those found in a comic book, but it's interrupted repeatedly by an annoying and frustrated gray squirrel. Grayson T. Squirrel is convinced that someone has stolen his nut, and he searches high and low in order to find it. The fact that many of the acorns buried by squirrels are never located only adds to the verisimilitude of this far-fetched romp through the woods. The front endpapers consist of clever elements, including a bathroom key, an Instamatic camera, and a sign-in sheet for the tour with punny names. This picture book made me chortle--even its title is amusing because of the double meaning.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassandra Federman has written and illustrated another laugh out loud, hilarious picture book that also happens to be informative about a charismatic animal. As the narrator tries to explain the inhabitants and characteristics of a temperate forest, Gray Squirrel interrupts with the terrible news that he has lost his acorn. As he retraces his steps to try to find his lost item, he gets himself into various predicaments, to ever increasingly chaos. Kids will love this witty and informative story, illustrated with a vibrant style.

[Brittany Pomales · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter (3) and I loved reading this together. She immediately asked me to read it again. The illustrations do a great job of giving off the squirrel scurrying feeling which makes the characters and story really come together life. Grayson reminded me of the squirrel in ICE AGE. Super fun and worth the buy!!

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is part mystery, part adventure with silly illustrations plus forest animal facts. Some page layouts mirror comic book/graphic novel formats, and others are full-page spreads. Don't forget to check out the terms and infos in the back of the book.

Overall: clever, silly, entertaining with facts!
Themes: animals, humor
Ages: 2-3rd grade
Pub year: 2025

[Abby Carothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun way to teach kids about the life of a squirrel. This book uses real squirrel behaviors, like searching for food in a fun story. This also would be a great way to introduce lifestyles and behaviors of other living species.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious tale of a frantic, neurotic squirrel searching for the acorn he has buried and can't find. I think I related because, as a woman going through menopause, squirrel's behavior felt all too real! :) Interactive but difficult to read to a large group. Lots of laughs!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny book about a grey squirrel who lost his nut. The squirrel goes back and forth with the narrator. The story is a little on the long side and has small illustrations, so best as a one-on-one story.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and amusing story. I liked the illustrations.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator is trying to inform the reader about the forest, but gray squirrel wants attention. He buried his nut and he can't remember where. This book was okay. The squirrel was very irritating.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preschool and school-age

[Chuck Beilstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obnoxious and instructional?!

[Carole Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A frantic gray squirrel’s nut hunt turns into a hilarious forest adventure in this funny, fact-filled picture book, perfect for read-alouds and fans of silly animal antics.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tagging this with science for the backmatter at least, lol.

A very fun fall/early winter read in areas with woods and lots of squirrels.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good back and fourth between the narrator and Greyson aka Grey Squirrel. Might work better with parents/kids instead of Storytime.

[Mariann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Gray Squirrels nut!? Was it stolen? Misplaced? Did it disappear? Kids will love this one!