Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

Picked it up after seeing Sedaris at Massey Hall. Using a varied bestiary to tell his stories I found it harder to connect with the vignettes, preferring his more autobiographical “Dress Your Family...” Love the illustrations by Ian Falconer.

Unexpected, hilarious, and alternately dark and heartwarming. Unlike anything I've ever read. Sedaris continues to show the worst bits of human nature (animal nature?) hiding inside us all, but in a winsome way. Not for everyone, but I'd give it a shot (especially in the excellent audiobook)

As a lover of all David Sedaris's memoirs, and as a lover of cute illustrations of animals, I picked this up on a whim with high hopes a few years ago. Recently I spotted it on my bookshelf and after having read a morbid thriller, thought it would be nice for a light change. Unfortunately (or fortunately, I suppose, depending on what you're looking for) this book is also morbid: a modernized, satirized twist on children's fables, complete with a zinger moral at the end of each story. While I appreciate the clever satire, it wasn't the reading experience for which I had hoped. Quick read, though, and lovely (though, again - kind of morbid) illustrations.

Sedaris never disappoints. This book is not as laugh-out-loud-funny as Me Talk Pretty One Day or When You Are Engulfed in Flames, but I don't think it was meant to be. Sedaris's keen eye for observation and BS gives the reader pause to reflect as our pettiness, stereotypes and other character flaws are all unabashedly depicted. This book is humorous and insightful. Those who are guilty of selfishness, jealousy, or any of the other flaws discussed in the book, may find the moral of the story a hard pill to swallow.

Cute, funny, insightful, charming. A lovely book, it would no doubt make a good one to read out loud.