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Chippy Chipmunk: Friends in the Garden

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In this third book of the award-winning Chippy Chipmunk series, Chippy experiences the loss of his best friend Pickle, a meadow vole. Chippy's friends help him both to express his grief and also learn to accept and be at peace with the fate of his pal. While Chippy hibernates, owls appear in magical dreams to offer words of comfort. By springtime, Chippy emerges with a renewed sense of hope and begins to believe that life really does get better. The delicately woven story line is illustrated with beautiful nature photography. An activity page, fun facts, and notes to parents and educators are included."

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2015

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About the author

Kathy M. Miller

4 books1 follower
Kathy M. Miller is a teacher, cellist, author and award-winning nature photographer. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kutztown University with Bachelor degrees in Education and Music.
In addition to the images found in her multi-award winning children’s books Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden, Chippy Chipmunk: Babies in the Garden and Chippy Chipmunk: Friends in the Garden (© 2009, © 2011, © 2015 Celtic Sunrise) Miller’s photographs have been published in various newspapers and magazines and graced the covers of brochures, Hawk Mountain News, and the 2009 Schuylkill County Visitors Guide. One of Miller’s photos was used for the cover of the Yuengling Brewery Cookbook and she contributed ten images to the book Rescuing Wildlife (©2009, Stackpole). She won 2nd place in the Schuylkill Allied Artists Competition in photography.

Kathy’s multi-media nature program has been presented to numerous libraries and schools across North America. Highly engaging and interactive, it includes aural and visual components about backyard nature. It includes tips on photography, video clips and a hands-on burrow building simulation. She is a speaker at various Reading and Library Association Conferences.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Miller now lives in New Ringgold, Pennsylvania with her husband and a photogenic feline, Chester.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Anna || BooksandBookends.
395 reviews34 followers
January 13, 2015
I received a free copy of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chippy Chipmunk is playing I Spy with his friends. He spies an elephant who can fly! After playing I Spy with his friends, he decides to go and find his best friend, Pickle. There’s only one problem, he can’t seem to find Pickle anywhere. He decides to sleep and is woken by Rabbit who has come with some very sad news – Pickle has died. Chippy Chipmunk prepares to hibernate whilst going through the loss of his friend, but his friends are there to support him and some wise owls have some sage words of wisdom to pass on to him in his dreams…

This book is a brilliant book for both parents and educator who wish to discuss the often difficult subject of grief with children. The photography in the book is simply stunning and really adds to the story. It has some great advice in the back of the book suggesting ways to talking to children about grief through use of the book. The message sent across from the book is lovely and is carried in an accessible and friendly manner.

It would be a great book to use with younger pupils if they had experienced grief, either on a one-to-one basis with the pupil or as a whole class focussed lesson and discussion. As well as simply being a book about grief, it’s also very informative with information about the animals in the book, their habitats, sizes and where in the world they can be found.

All in all, this was a lovely book and one which I hope to use when working with children.
3 reviews
March 3, 2022
I loved this book and it moved my heart deeply. I felt like I could totally relate to Chippy Chipmunk. The writing style was excellent and loved the deep connection Chippy had with Pickle, it made my cry and read the book twice. Bravo! I highly recommend this book for children and those young at heart ❤️.
Profile Image for Elaine - Splashes Into Books.
3,884 reviews136 followers
January 16, 2015
What a fantastic, inspirational, beautiful book – definitely different, superb for use with any child who has experienced grief through the loss of someone or a pet, but also a brilliant story in its own right. In case you haven’t noticed, I REALLY like this book and highly recommend it!

The photographs throughout the book are incredible and chosen to be highly indicative of the text. The story itself concerns how Chippy the Chipmunk copes with the loss and death of his best friend, Pickle, a meadow vole. Initially Chippy doesn’t realise Pickle has died until other animal friends let him know of his friend’s fate. His friends help Chippy learn to express his grief and, after owls visiting his hibernation dreams, he emerges from hibernation with hope that life can get better.

There is guidance for parents and educators to help them use this story to support children experiencing the loss of a loved one. It could easily be used on either a one to one or to larger group/class. It also contains information about the animals involved in the story, giving information about them that could stimulate further discussions and investigations, helping develop children’s awareness of their environment and the creatures that may inhabit it, too.

This is the third book in the series, but the first one I’ve seen. I’ll certainly be looking out for the first two books and other work by this author who is a brilliant photographer, too!
Profile Image for Mary Prado.
Author 10 books2 followers
July 29, 2014
CBZ Book Review for--

Chippy Chipmunk: Friends in the Garden
Written by Kathy M. Miller

Chippy is a little chipmunk. He and Pickles the mole are best friends. Unfortunately Chippy loses his dear friend Pickle and he is very sad. His friends in the forest try to help cheer Chippy. They offer suggestions and try to make things better. When the weather changes to spring it brings renew hope and Chippy realizes he can move on.

This book also includes helpful tips and notes to parents and educators. The author has also included fun facts and an activity page. This book is a valuable tool in explaining grief. The photographs are absolutely beautiful and the author has done a great job at capturing nature. This book is third in the series of Chippy Chipmunk books. I really liked this book.
Profile Image for Donna Maguire.
4,895 reviews120 followers
January 20, 2015
This book contains some stunning photos to help younger children understand the hard topic of loss. Sadly for Chippy he loses his best friend Pickle to a fox, the story goes on to show how he has other friends to support him and how life goes on and to think of the positives and memories you had. Its very nicely written. I received a free copy of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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