Rabbit and Squirrel: A Tale of War & Peas    by Kara LaReau & Scott Magoon Order:  USA  Can Harcourt, 2008 (2008) Hardcover     Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch Rabbit and Squirrel are neighbors sharing the same garden. They each lovingly tend to it and live on the premises. One day, Rabbit discovers that his prized lettuce and carrots have been picked, effectively destroying his hard work. Without pausing to find out the truth, he rushes over to Squirrel's house, accusing him of the crime and warning him to stay away. The next day, portions of Squirrel's garden are destroyed and of course, he immediately blames Rabbit. Then the real owner of the garden (the person who actually picked the vegetables) chases them both away, calling them pests, and forcing the two animals to vacate her property. The two of them end up in the woods somewhere, with an open-ended question at the end: will they eventually work together, or will their petty differences make them lifelong enemies? 'Rabbit and Squirrel stayed in the woods and continued to blame each other. One of these days, they'll grow tired of fighting. And then, hopefully, they'll learn to grow something new.' The story contains many good lessons for parents to talk over with their young children. The amusingly exaggerated expressions on the animals' faces and the cartoon-like quality to the drawings make this a good reader's choice. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews