Chipmunk chirps her songs all day long and into the night, with only a rock to listen to her. She appreciates the rock but would also like a friend who could respond. So she sets off to find one, returning with a pinecone who is also a good listener and gets along well with the rock, but also doesn’t say anything. On her second venture out she finds a hollow log, which she wants to take back to the rock and the pinecone, but it’s too heavy for her to move. A raccoon tries to help her, to no avail. Then a moose comes along, who is able to push the log enough that it rolls downhill to rest conveniently next to the rock and the pinecone. Raccoon and moose speak and reply, and they join Chipmunk in her songs, during the day and into the night. Although a lot happens in this story, an economy of language with just the right amount of repetition makes for a great read-aloud. The illustrations use color to express Chipmunk’s moods, and while the animals are anthropomorphized in both the text and illustrations, the rock, pinecone and log are mercifully not.
(Ages 3-6)