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The Dead Sea Squirrels #10
Risky River Rescue
he Dead Sea Squirrels are back with another fun-filled adventure! The Gomez family and friends continue the search for Merle through the Holy Land. But instead of finding Merle, they uncover Dr. Simon’s master plan to create the BabbleLand Animal Park: “the only zoo where cuddly creatures talk to you” and where you can engage in “small talk with the livestock.”
Meanwhile, Merle meets Dave, a talking blue Lizard of Judah. The two of them escape Ruben’s clutches and take off along the Jordan River toward Galilee. The Gomezes capture Ruben, but they just miss Merle and Dave.
Themes:
Choosing to follow God’s will
Pleasing God by obeying him
Meanwhile, Merle meets Dave, a talking blue Lizard of Judah. The two of them escape Ruben’s clutches and take off along the Jordan River toward Galilee. The Gomezes capture Ruben, but they just miss Merle and Dave.
Themes:
Choosing to follow God’s will
Pleasing God by obeying him
144 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2022
13 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Mike Nawrocki
564 books30 followersAs co-creator of Veggie Tales, co-founder of Big Idea Entertainment, and the voice of the beloved Larry the Cucumber, Mike Nawrocki has been dedicated to helping parents pass on wholesome values to their kids through storytelling for over two decades. Mike currently serves as the artist in residence at Lipscomb University, where he is also pursuing an MFA in writing and directing for film. The Dead Sea Squirrels is Mike's first children's book series, which he has been delighted to write from the home he shares with his wife, Lisa, and their two children in Franklin, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 2, 2025
I didn’t really enjoy this one. I found it quite boring. I like light reads like this, but it really lacked depth. I liked the premise, but to me it didn’t really deliver. Finn is a grown man who is trying to plot payback to someone who is completely clueless. I wish I found it charming, but it was annoying. Definitely not my favourite Melissa Ferguson book and I don’t recommend it either.
August 14, 2024
I really liked and highly recommend it!
November 26, 2025
Yes! Science and geography of the Bible for kids!
September 20, 2023
As I read this book in the series, I appreciated how these are a great way for children (or adults) to get a geographical feel for Israel. There are maps in all the books and the author provides good descriptions. 🐿️ 🦎
May 3, 2022
This is a cute story for young readers that is amusing and exciting as well as educational. Animals that talk, includiing the Dead Sea Squirrels, and some human friends such as Dr & Mrs. Gomenzes,and Michael and Jane, join together and tour the Holy Land while looking for one of the squirrel-napped Dead Sea Squirrels named Merle. His wife's name is Pearle. She is eagerly helping to look for Merle too. Fun stuff.
If any child has been to Sunday School hearing different Bible stores and have seen some maps of the Holy Land, then some of the places named in this book will be somewhat familiar, like the Dead Sea, Jordan River, Nazareth and so on. The animals also tell Bible stories about those places and their significance, in short blurbs.
Although this Risky River Rescue book is the 10th in a series about the Dead Sea Squirrels, it can be a stand alone feature. The author has introduced each of the main characters and given them brief but interesting bio's. If any of the children are familiar with Veggie Tales, it'll give them an idea of what they can expect from this engaging tale. Additionally, I'd like to note that because the Bible stories seem to be accurately related as compared with the actual Bible version, I would, given opportunity, give such as a gift to a grandchild if I had one or to young nieces and nephews.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
February 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
If any child has been to Sunday School hearing different Bible stores and have seen some maps of the Holy Land, then some of the places named in this book will be somewhat familiar, like the Dead Sea, Jordan River, Nazareth and so on. The animals also tell Bible stories about those places and their significance, in short blurbs.
Although this Risky River Rescue book is the 10th in a series about the Dead Sea Squirrels, it can be a stand alone feature. The author has introduced each of the main characters and given them brief but interesting bio's. If any of the children are familiar with Veggie Tales, it'll give them an idea of what they can expect from this engaging tale. Additionally, I'd like to note that because the Bible stories seem to be accurately related as compared with the actual Bible version, I would, given opportunity, give such as a gift to a grandchild if I had one or to young nieces and nephews.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
February 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
June 11, 2022
[This is a Tyndale House Ministries children's humorous story including brief Christian stories from the New Living Translation of the Bible.]
Merle and Pearl are squirrels that were accidentally dehydrated in a cave 2,000 years ago next to the Dead Sea (in the Holy Land).
They were found by a boy and rehydrated, then stolen (kidnapped?) by a bad guy working
for an evil man who's dream is to have a talking-animal petting zoo.
As the squirrel's friends attempt rescue (the posse includes the boy, his parents, friends, and animals including a donkey and camel), places in the Bible are mentioned jokingly or as a point of interest. However, without a map, tossing around place names was meaningless to me.
As a Christian, I was interested and anticipated some fun. I smiled occasionally, but the humor felt forced and flat, like a woman yelling "Peeping donkey!" or Pearl talking about how inept Merle was after he did something clever.
I encourage humor to teach, and Christian values are worthy topics, but this book was disjointed, the grammar made the story confusing in some parts, and I was mildly offended by some of the jokes and situations.
The things I found most interesting were facts about the habitats and animals in areas they travelled through.
2/5 Stars
1 Star for Christian themes and scripture
1 Star for nature facts
Thanks to Tyndale Kids, Tyndale House Publishers, and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook pdf; the review is voluntary.
#RiskyRiverRescue #NetGalley
#DeadSeaSquirrelsSeries
#TyndaleHousePublishers #TyndaleKids
#ChildrensFictionChristian
#ChildrensHumorousFictionChristian
#AuthMikeNawrocki #IllustLukeSéguinMagee
#LukeSéguinMagee #MikeNawrocki
Merle and Pearl are squirrels that were accidentally dehydrated in a cave 2,000 years ago next to the Dead Sea (in the Holy Land).
They were found by a boy and rehydrated, then stolen (kidnapped?) by a bad guy working
for an evil man who's dream is to have a talking-animal petting zoo.
As the squirrel's friends attempt rescue (the posse includes the boy, his parents, friends, and animals including a donkey and camel), places in the Bible are mentioned jokingly or as a point of interest. However, without a map, tossing around place names was meaningless to me.
As a Christian, I was interested and anticipated some fun. I smiled occasionally, but the humor felt forced and flat, like a woman yelling "Peeping donkey!" or Pearl talking about how inept Merle was after he did something clever.
I encourage humor to teach, and Christian values are worthy topics, but this book was disjointed, the grammar made the story confusing in some parts, and I was mildly offended by some of the jokes and situations.
The things I found most interesting were facts about the habitats and animals in areas they travelled through.
2/5 Stars
1 Star for Christian themes and scripture
1 Star for nature facts
Thanks to Tyndale Kids, Tyndale House Publishers, and NetGalley for the preview of this ebook pdf; the review is voluntary.
#RiskyRiverRescue #NetGalley
#DeadSeaSquirrelsSeries
#TyndaleHousePublishers #TyndaleKids
#ChildrensFictionChristian
#ChildrensHumorousFictionChristian
#AuthMikeNawrocki #IllustLukeSéguinMagee
#LukeSéguinMagee #MikeNawrocki
March 31, 2022
Risky River Rescue is a lot of fun! I love how well the personalities shine through. Pearl's no-nonsense, realistic outlook, and Merle's carefree way of being comfortable and seeing the bright side of the situation were well done.
The Gomez family and their entourage were resourceful and clever, and hilarious. (Just act like we're supposed to be here, no one will notice)
The best part for me was learning that it's believed that Jesus was baptized at the same spot on the Jordan river that several other awesome events happened. I love how big things like that can be tucked into a story for kids, and not feel preachy or lecture-y.
This is Book 10, and really needs to be read in order. My family had read 1-2, and were able to catch up/follow the story, but definitely could tell we'd missed a lot. This didn't stop us from enjoying the story.
I received an advance copy of this book from #NetGalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.
The Gomez family and their entourage were resourceful and clever, and hilarious. (Just act like we're supposed to be here, no one will notice)
The best part for me was learning that it's believed that Jesus was baptized at the same spot on the Jordan river that several other awesome events happened. I love how big things like that can be tucked into a story for kids, and not feel preachy or lecture-y.
This is Book 10, and really needs to be read in order. My family had read 1-2, and were able to catch up/follow the story, but definitely could tell we'd missed a lot. This didn't stop us from enjoying the story.
I received an advance copy of this book from #NetGalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.
May 1, 2022
Risky River Rescue is a fun story that children will love. It teaches Biblical values while taking children on a fun adventure at the same time. The story follows the Gomez family as they search for Merle in the Holy Land. Merle has his own adventure, and just barely manages to escape from the dreaded Ruben.
This book is fun from start to finish! My children absolutely loved following along with Merle and the Gomez family. There are twists and turns that keep you guessing all along the way, and you're never quite sure if the Gomez family will finally catch Merle or if he will manage to escape again.
This book also teaches wonderful Christian values. Children learn about choosing to follow God's will for their lives and how to please God by obeying him.
This is a fantastic family story and I highly recommend it.
This book is fun from start to finish! My children absolutely loved following along with Merle and the Gomez family. There are twists and turns that keep you guessing all along the way, and you're never quite sure if the Gomez family will finally catch Merle or if he will manage to escape again.
This book also teaches wonderful Christian values. Children learn about choosing to follow God's will for their lives and how to please God by obeying him.
This is a fantastic family story and I highly recommend it.
May 22, 2022
Another exciting installment of the Dead Sea Squirrels series, the 10th book takes us to Israel where we find that one of the Dead Sea Squirrels has been squirrelnapped and is in danger of being a part of a petting zoo. This book follows the fun and hi-jinx of the Gomez family and their friends as they travel to Israel to find the missing squirrel. My kids have devoured every book in this series, and have looked forward to reading this book since the last was published! I especially like that each book in this series contains Biblical information about God, Jesus, or important places in Israel. I even learned several things about Jesus’ baptism in this book that I did know previously know! Highly recommend for elementary school aged readers!
Many thanks to Tyndale Kids and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Many thanks to Tyndale Kids and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 24, 2022
I read this to my 5, 8, 10, and 11 year olds. Since we're big fans of Veggie Tales, I figured they'd love it! The only one who liked it was the 8 year old.
It was difficult to keep the characters straight, and it was just...silly. What I would call twaddle. There were a few little tidbits about the Bible or the Biblical region, but not enough to make it better for my kids.
*I received this ebook courtesy of NetGalley for my review. All opinions are my own.*
It was difficult to keep the characters straight, and it was just...silly. What I would call twaddle. There were a few little tidbits about the Bible or the Biblical region, but not enough to make it better for my kids.
*I received this ebook courtesy of NetGalley for my review. All opinions are my own.*
February 26, 2025
good book
February 10, 2024
Another squirrel adventure with Merle, Pearl and the Gomez family. I read these with my kids as part of my daughters 1st grade homework. They enjoy the books and of course the adventures continue.
March 20, 2025
I love this series! I’m so glad Merle escaped from Ruben!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews