This is such a cute children’s book about friendship and what it means.

Squirrel is excited about this years acorn hunt race. Squirrel has won it for the last eight years in a row. However, when squirrel sees that this years event will be a team effort and is not able to do it alone Squirrel takes her friends offer to join in for a team effort this year.

Squirrel is fast and just wants to go go go. Once she reaches the Golden Acorn, she realizes that she can’t do it alone and really does need her friends to win this race.

She realizes the value of a team that sticks together and gets to their destination together. Knowing how great it is to accomplish some thing on ones own is great but as Squirrel learns here, sometimes we need others to get achieve our goals.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I love the foliage.

This is an excellent story to teach children about teamwork and friendship. I would encourage teacher, parents, caregivers, grandparents to all pick this one up for the children in their lives to help build that much needed skill of teamwork.

*This book was received in exchange via NetGalley for my honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love this book. I love the colors and the illustrations. A great message too.

The Golden Acorn is about Squirrel, who is the fastest animal in the forest. She always wins the golden acorn! This year she had to be on a team, and she wasn't happy about it because she always had to help her friends. Her friends were really slow and they always got stuck. So she ran ahead of all her friends and couldn't get the golden acorn by herself!

The Golden Acorn made me laugh and I thought the animals were really cute.

Do you like this book?

Yeah! I liked it a lot.

What's your favorite part of the book?

When she found the golden acorn but it was too big for her! It was bigger than she was.

What do you think of the cover?

I like it because of the squirrel and the acorn.

Too Many Carrots has been a favorite of ours for quite a while now. When we saw that Katy had written a new book we knew we needed to read it. And it definitely did not disappoint.

I love the artwork in her books, it's always so adorable.

This was definitely a fast read, which is good. We've been reading a lot of chapter books with Finn lately and he needed that break.

The Golden Acorn has a really great message about being there for your friends, and how they should come above winning. Squirrel was so concerned about winning the golden acorn that she left her friends behind. But when she saw that she was alone, she decided that her friends were much more important.

This same concept has been done a lot of times way more effectively than this book does it. Art was decent, but overall not something I would recommend or seek out. This plot concept is rather overdone in picture books and the characters have less of a sensible impetus to change in this book than in others.

My three year old enjoyed this story, and the illustrations in particular. Once it had expired we added it to our collection to keep reading.

Thank you Netgalley for my review copy of this book.

This is a delightful, fun children's book - perfect for cuddling up with your child and reading aloud. It flows really nicely and the pictures are beautiful and cute. Lovely children's read

The illustrations are fabulous! Warm and inviting, and oh so charming! I adored all the little details. And woodland creatures are a favorite of mine, squirrels coming rather high up the list, so…this book was kind of a no brainer for me from the beginning.

As for the story itself, Squirrel is used to winning The Golden Acorn competition, having done so for the past eight years. But this year, the contest rules have changed, and he has to participate as part of a team, instead of as an individual. This has him in quite a huff, and despite having his friends as willing and motivated teammates, he can’t let his frustration go. In the end, Squirrel learns a lesson about what really matters in life.

While I love the message, it pains me to say that I struggled a little with the delivery. While the illustrations did communicate a lot, I felt a little more text could have improved the book overall. That said, I think most young children would the illustrations enchanting and the story enjoyable enough.

Squirrel is the fastest animal in the wood. She even has shelves upon shelves of trophies to prove it. Above all she’s proud of the trophies that she was awarded for winning the annual Golden Acorn Hunt eight years in a row. But this year, the rules have changed: The Golden Acorn Hunt is now a team event!

With no time to find anyone even remotely as fast as her, Squirrel has to team up with her friends – Rabbit, Beaver, Bird and Tortoise. Again and again Squirrel’s friends hold her back as they struggle to keep up with her. Finally, she races ahead, leaving them behind. That’s when she finds… The Golden Acorn! But what use is it to her without her friends?

The character development in The Golden Acorn is superb, as we see Squirrel transform over the course of the story from someone who just wants to win into a kind, caring friend who values those closest to her above all else. The book also imparts (without coming across as preachy) an important message about learning to work together as a team.

The illustrations are absolutely delightful. I’m always impressed at how author/illustrators can often match their artwork so perfectly to their story, and Katy Hudson (author of the popular Too Many Carrots and A Loud Winter’s Nap) certainly doesn’t disappoint. The colours and textures are gorgeous, as are the characters’ expressions and the cosy autumnal feel of the book with the yellow-orange leaves and the animals feasting on pumpkin pie and toffee apples at the end.

A squirrel has to put aside her own goals to make sure she and her friends finish the golden acorn race as a team. The author highlights friendship, teamwork and patience through squirrel helping her friends at some turns and ignoring them at others in order to reach the golden acorn first. Young readers will be attracted to Hudson's approachable illustrations. The moral lesson will go over the heads of young preschoolers, but 5-6 year old children will understand the moral lesson in the story.

This adorable little book is about Squirrel, who is the fastest in the forest! She's got the hardware to prove it-a room full of trophies! But when there's a rule change for the annual Golden Acorn contest, Squirrel has to have a team and they are totally slowing her down! The pictures in this one are cheerful and high energy and will help the littlest kids understand why sometimes other creatures aren't as good at somethings as others. I think this will make a great addition to my elementary library.

'The Golden Acorn' with words and pictures by Katy Hudson is about the importance of winning, and things that are even more important.

Squirrel is a winner. He has won the last 8 Golden Acorn competitions and already has a space cleared for this year's trophy. Squirrel finds out the rules have changed and it's now a team event. The event starts and Squirrel runs ahead, but his team lags behind. Will Squirrel win the trophy or will Squirrel win some wisdom about what's really important?

The story is a good solid one too. The illustrations in this book are really great and give the dynamic feel of an animated adventure. I love the little details in the drawings too.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Capstone and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Squirrel is the fastest creature in the forest and has trophies and certificates lining her walls to prove it. She has won the a golden acorn hunt for many years and plans to do the same again this year, when a rule change is announced saying you must compete with a team, squirrel is concerned, is there time for enough training to make her friends as fast as she is, when the day of the hunt arrives, will squirrel stick with her team, or will the temptation to win be too great?
This was a lovely story of friendship and the importance of teamwork, one I’m sure many of my class would do well to read/hear. The story is simple but the message is clear...a group of friends is a better prize than any trophy or medal.
With simple vocabulary and colourful pictures with plenty to look at, this story is accessible to even the youngest of children. It would be great to read with a competitive child and with a group who need to learn why working cooperatively is important

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The illustrations in this book are lively and fun. It’s enjoyable to see squirrel racing around, his fur a-flying!

Squirrel is an excellent athlete who has won many awards and races. He is looking forward to this year’s competition as usual. The only problem is that the rules have changed. They are no longer racing as individuals, they are required to race as teams. Will squirrel have the patience to work with those who have different capabilities and speeds?

The book shares excellent universal themes for kids: the importance of learning to cooperate and learning that winning isn’t everything. In fact, winning isn’t very important at all when compared to the friends you love.

When I saw this book was available as an advanced readers copy on NetGalley I knew I had to request it. I've really enjoyed Capstone's fiction books and have several of Katy Hudson's books in my elementary school library. The kids LOVE them and this one will be no different. I'll purchase it for sure. Squirrel is used to winning everything, but when forced to work with a team to win the Golden Nut Hunt Race he learns what's truly important. This book features beautiful pictures that children will enjoy.

What a beautiful book – both in story and illustrations.

Squirrel likes to run races and WIN. This year the race for the golden acorn has new rules. Everyone must run as a team. Squirrel is not happy because he knows his friends will slow him down and they do. Squirrel is irritated with Turtle, Beaver and Rabbit. When Squirrel finds the golden acorn, will he continue running ahead having left his friends in the dust or will friendship win out over material things?

This is a great lesson on friendship and how important it is. Squirrel covets the golden acorn and is disgusted that he has to have a team to race. He focuses on his friends flaws instead of their positive attributes. In the end, he realizes that friendship is the most important thing.

I highly recommend this book. It is easy to read and entertaining for both children and adults. The illustrations are comical and bright. There are plenty of things for kids to point out on each page. The story provides a good lesson for everyone and does it in a manner than kids can understand. I loved it!


I received an ARC from Capstone through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

Scoiattolina è la più veloce del bosco: lo provano le Ghiande d'Oro che adornano la sua tana, trofei giustamente vinti sul campo della gara annuale.

Senonché quest'anno la gara è una gara a squadre: si devono reclutare in fretta e furia gli amici per cercare e vincere la Ghianda!

Ma Scoiattolina non è molto contenta: Coniglio, Tartaruga e Castoro non sono né agili né veloci... come farà a vincere?

Illustrazioni spettacolari per una storia incantevole, in cui si impara che vincere, dopotutto, non è la cosa più importante.

The Golden Acorn is a gorgeous book with adorable illustrations of forest animals. Squirrel has collected lots of trophies from the many races she has won. But the Golden Acorn race has a new theme this year - only teams can enter the race! Squirrel isn't happy but rallies her friends anyway. Will squirrel and the other animals be able to work together?

This is a cute and whimsical picture book for young children and the beautiful illustrations really complement the woodland setting. My favourite woodland characters were rabbit and tortoise.

The Golden Acorn would be a magical addition to any child's library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for a copy of this book. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The cover is attractive, but it doesn’t end there. Each page is so much fun with just enough detail to make it interesting and humorous. And the animals . . . what can I say? The animals’ expressions convey so much that I couldn’t keep from smiling.

But enough, on to the story.

Squirrel has managed to win the Great Acorn Hunt for the last 8 years. But something totally awful has happened. The rules have changed. The race is now a team competition. Ugh. What’s a squirrel to do?

Well, Squirrel does at least have some great friends that will no doubt step up to help. Beaver, Tortoise, Rabbit, and Bird agree, but racing and searching aren't what they enjoy. Though Squirrel desperately tries to work with this little team, the race is the following day!

As the race begins, Squirrel leaps to the lead. Yes! There it is. The beautiful Golden Acorn. But what about team participation? Ugh! How far back can her struggling teammates be?


What Concerned Me:
Absolutely nothing.


What I Liked Most:
Though The Golden Acorn does contain a message, which is nice, the illustrations and story are something you won’t want to miss sharing with your classroom or kids. The message is just the icing on the cake!

A cute story that reminds kids that friendship is more important than winning in this hunt for the Golden Acorn.

I loved this book. It teaches strong themes and values for children in a friendly and approachable manner. Squirrel learns a good lesson on the importance of valuing her friends and teamwork. This is a book I could see myself and many of my colleagues reading to our classes to help them learn these important values. I can't wait to share this with my children and my students.