Cordell, Matthew. Evergreen. Feiwel and Friends, 2023. 978-1-250-31717-9. unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Evergreen is not a brave squirrel. She is afraid of loud noises, heights, swimming, and thunderstorms. Buckthorn Forest, where Evergreen lives in a tall red oak tree with her mother, is full of scary things. But Evergreen’s mother needs her to deliver an acorn full of healing soup to an ailing Granny Oak. Evergreen has never traveled through Buckthorn by herself … until now. Along the way, she encounters a fluffy white rabbit trapped between two rocks, a red-tailed hawk, and an old toad and his great-grandson. Each new character needs Evergreen’s help, and she must find her courage to solve her fellow forest critters’ problems. What will happen when she meets the fiercest of all the animals in Buckthorn, a grizzly bear? Matthew Cordell’s ink and watercolor illustrations are characteristically wonderful. Evergreen’s expressive eyes and tentative posture reveal her anxiety; she practically quivers on the page! Full-page spreads featuring Buckthorn Forest’s predators add high-stakes drama to the story. A color palette of green, blue, and brown represents the natural world perfectly. 

THOUGHTS: Readers of Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen and Cordell’s own Cornbread and Poppy series will love this woodsy adventure story. The ending hints at future Evergreen excursions!

Picture Book