Book excerpt: In this animal adventure from Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Rylant, Stumpy Squirrel has just settled into a new nest in a magnificent pin oak in Gooseberry Park. It s the perfect spot for her babies to be born When they arrive healthy and strong, Stumpy s three good friends--a Labrador retriever, a wise hermit crab, and a bat who eats Chinese food--are thrilled. But after a terrible ice storm destroys the pin oak, Stumpy disappears. It takes a special combination of courage, humor, and tenacity for Stumpy s friends to rescue her babies and bring her home again. Arthur Howard's black-and-white illustrations illuminate the companions adventures throughout."