"Home" is a powerful word. In light of all the recent natural disasters around the planet, "home" is something that none of us should take lightly. Your home is that place that is all about you: your clothes, your pictures, your dishes, your meals, your bedtime prayers all take place in your home. It's your little bit of sanctuary in an otherwise crazy world.
While it's not really the point of this blog to get serious, I think we can all relate to this book in our own way, either as an adult who has worked all day and looks forward to crashing into our beds at night; or as a child, who looks at his or her home as a cozy den of familiarity. Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young, is the story of a grey squirrel who loves her little home in the "tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree." Miss Suzy definitely has that "pride of ownership;" she knows every last hidden corner of it, from the acorn cups to the maple-twig broom, and she keeps it spanking clean. But alas, the bad red squirrels are lurking about, wreaking havoc on poor Miss Suzy's home, forcing her to move on. She makes the best of things by living in an abandoned dollhouse, and tries to make it as close to a home as she can, yet she still misses her tall oak tree. After telling her story of being thrown from her den, her tin soldier friends rally to her aid, and Miss Suzy finds herself, once again, back in the strong branches of her tree. Miss Suzy is happy to move back in; after all, there's no place like home.
Why we like this book: Miss Suzy may not really be the storybook portrayal of a natural disaster, but it does ring back to the things we love about being home: familiarity, comfort, quiet. Even when we love to travel and explore, it still is nice to come back home. Miss Suzy also shows us that simple living, being content with oneself, really brings true happiness. She lived in the well-adorned dollhouse, with its china dishes and chandeliers, but what she really missed was how the "wind rocked her tree like a cradle," and she fell asleep every night looking at the stars. Simplicity is best. It means contentment and satisfaction. Let us not take it for granted.
One more thing we like: Illustrations by none other than Arnold Lobel, perhaps one of my most favorite children's book authors and illustrators. Happy faces, wide eyes and the picture of Miss Suzy's little house are gentle and sweet, with warm color and aspect. I love personification through his eyes--perhaps Miss Suzy lives in a tree near you! See if you can spot her--at least at your local library.
