Sara loved the holiday of Sukkot. She loved building the sukkah, and eating and sleeping in it, and she loved decorating it. When the beautiful gourds she bought to decorate the sukkah start to go missing, it isn't long until she discovers the cause: the backyard squirrels have been having a snack. Angry at first, she soon comes to a better understanding, showing compassion toward the 'wrongdoer,' and eventually discovering that it has worked out for the best...

Just the other day, on my daily walk, I was speaking to one of my neighbors and she mentioned that whenever she puts out pumpkins as part of her Halloween decorations, the local squirrels eat them during night, so I immediately suspected who the culprit in The Vanishing Gourds: A Sukkot Mystery was. This is a cute holiday story, one that teaches children that the seemingly huge disappointments they encounter may not be so terrible after all, and that they should show understanding to the wildlife that they encounter. After all, when wild animals wreak havoc in our backyards - bunnies eating our lettuce, raccoons rifling through our garbage bins - it is almost always because they are hungry. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking lighthearted Sukkot stories. ( )

A cute children's story about Sukkot. Preschool to lower elementary school. I think older students could also get additional discussions out of this such as being kind to animals, etc. ( )