Squirrel: How a Backyard Forager Shapes Our World

by Nancy F. Castaldo

Squirrels are a common sight, seemingly everywhere in wild and urban nature. Their chattering antics in city parks delight us while their raids on our backyard gardens and birdfeeders never fail to exasperate. But squirrels are more than amusing backyard entertainers, and few of us know much about them or fully appreciate their role in keeping the environment healthy. As stress on the natural world intensifies, should we be paying more attention to the plight of squirrels?

In Squirrel, Nancy Castaldo shines new light on this familiar backyard mammal, exploring their staggering diversity (they’re found on all continents but Antarctica) and the many surprising ways they shape our world, our communities, and our cultures. Each chapter explores an aspect of squirrels and their close and sometimes fraught association with their importance to myriad ecosystems through sophisticated food-caching strategies; their introduction to nineteenth-century urban parks as adorable ambassadors for nature; their complicated global status as both invasive and endangered; their role as celebrated cultural icons and social media memes; and ultimately, why we must prevent population declines and protect their well-being while we can. Like other wildlife species, squirrels are increasingly stressed by climate change, and their speculative fate may foreshadow our own. The book includes a detailed bibliography, an exhaustive list of squirrel species and their status, and tips for coexisting peaceably with squirrels in our yards and neighborhoods. Chapters are introduced by exquisitely drawn historical illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals

264 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Nancy Castaldo is an award winning author of children's books, a certified National Geographic educator, and photographer.

She loves writing books for curious readers that get them thinking about the world around them.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have liked this book more if I had read it instead of listened. I could never keep my mind in it. But what I did learn is that lots of squirrels are threatened, often because of other squirrel populations and that prairie dogs and chipmunks are in the same family (and not just “rodents”!).

[Amy Traggianese · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a nature lover, I had to have this book! Here are just a few of the amazing things I learned: squirrels are a keystone species, you really CAN coexist with them (bird feeder problems, anyone?) and, believe it or not, some squirrel species are actually endangered. Really? Really.

After reading this book, I have a new appreciation for these little rodents, even though they DO plant zillions of black walnut trees in my yard. (Of course, they plant them where I do NOT want them, lol.)

[Marlies]

Wanted to read this very much and tried twice. Just couldn’t do it!

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. Narration was horrible. Sounded like a robot trying to be sexy. If you’re looking for a book to put you to sleep, this is the book. I recently listened to a book about beavers and one about wolves and one about turtles and they were fascinating and I learned so much and they were so interesting. This book was so boring. I’m so disappointed as there are squirrels all over my neighborhood and I find them quite funny and interesting. I would not recommend this book.

[Alice McGinty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! I learned a huge amount about these intriguing animals and their many interactions with the human world. The captivating storytelling approach takes us around the world, visiting scientists and habitats and solving mysteries. Now I know the reasons behind the great squirrel migration of 1968! An engaging and fascinating read - highly recommend!

[Luke Wiest · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine. It was very broad in terms of the squirrels covered and the issues surrounding them but didn't go very deep into any particular topic. A little bit of history was thrown in for good measure.

[Leslie Helakoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book holds so much information about the small furry neighbors we live with and sometimes battle. I'll never look at them the same way again.

[Becca]

I don't know if I will ever get to this, considering my piles, but I love the "exquisitely drawn historical illustrations" at the beginning of each chapter.

[Jeff J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive read, probably more than I needed to know.

[Emily Olive Petit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love or abhor them, squirrels - that most mischievous of everyday urban species - occupy a vital role in an unstable ecosystem and deserve to be understood and appreciated. This book is rather dry - I'll confess to having had some trouble getting to the conclusion - but worth reading for the polished perspective on pedestrian wildlife with which it has left me.