The Magic Squirrel

by N.G. Grishina

The story of a little boy and his adopted grandmother in a wonderful Christmas adventure.

143 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having no one with whom to celebrate her birthday, a lonely old woman decides to use her few remaining dollars to provide herself with a small party of her own in this lighthearted children's fantasy from the 1930s. On her way to buy presents and a cake, the woman encounters a poor young orphan boy named Keera, and ends up spending her money on boots for him instead. Taking Keera home with her, the woman, henceforth referred to as 'Grandmother,' informally adopts the young boy, eventually going out to work, in order to earn the money to care for him. One month later the warmhearted Keera spends his Christmas dollar on an imprisoned squirrel he sees at the market, bringing the shivering animal home as a pet. Although this seems at first like a poor investment, Petrushka is no ordinary squirrel: he is the one squirrel out of ninety-nine million that can speak. At their new sciruine companion's request, Grandmother and Keera set Petrushka free, allowing him to return to his woodland home. Their kindness is amply rewarded the next spring, when Keera becomes lost in the wood and is captured by the Shorties - a race of elf-like beings who live underground. Not only does Petrushka help Keera to escape from bondage, he manages to extract a supply of riches from the Shorty King that will greatly help the young boy and his adoptive grandmother. And so a relationship of mutual affection and aid is established between the squirrels, led by Petrushka, and Keera and his Grandmother...

Published in 1934, The Magic Squirrel is the fifth book from author N.G. Grishina, following upon such titles as Shorty: A Nursery Tale from Far Away (1924), Peter-Pea (1926), Sparrow House (1928), and Gresha and His Clay Pig (1930). Quite a few of Grishina's stories seem heavily influenced by Russian folklore and folk culture, as evidenced by the names of her characters, the themes and story-lines she utilized, and the style of her artwork, done both in color plates and in black and white illustrations. I haven't been able to discover very much about Grishina, who is described in some databases as 'Nadejda J. Grishina-Givago,' other than the fact that she was born in Russia in 1884, that she emigrated at some point to America, where her work was published (in English only, apparently), and that she died in 1936. Whatever her life story might have been - and its outlines hint at a fascinating tale! - her work is delightful, with beautiful and engaging artwork, and a sweetly fantastic tale, one replete with so many of the required figures and occurrences of the classic fairy-tale, from the orphan to the grandmother, the talking animal to the imprisonment of the hero by supernatural foes. Although not what I would describe as a gripping tale, the story here is one that would engage younger children, particularly those who enjoy gentler stories in which much of the fearsomeness of fairy-tales has been elided. There may be Russian influences here, but they aren't of the Baba Yaga sort. The third story from Grishina that I have read thus far (I hope to track down the final two soon), The Magic Squirrel is a book I would recommend to those looking for gentler fantasy works for younger children. Of course, it is rather difficult to obtain, so I'm not sure that many will have the opportunity to read it.

[Wilhelmina Morrison]

I am a 58 year old. I first read this book when I was 10 years old. I read it later at the age of 16. I have been searching for this books for years. I would love to read it to my grandsons for the holiday season. I would so like for someone to tell me where I can find it.

[Pompien · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first chapter book. What a great story. So warm, and a happy ending.
I have two copies.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic Squirrel is my favorite childhood library book. Someone needs to reprint this magical, beautifully illustrated book.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books as a child.