Review - Who Stole the Hazelnuts?

Who Stole the Hazelnuts?
by Marcus Pfister
Date: 2019
Publisher: NorthSouth Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A new book from the author of the bestselling Rainbow Fish series!

The peace and quiet of the forest are shattered by a scream. Someone has stolen the squirrel’s three hazelnuts! Who could have committed such a terrible crime? The squirrel begins his investigation, and no one is above suspicion.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I don't quite know what to make of this one. It's a rhyming story about a false accusation. I liked where it was going... until it wasn't going there anymore. Let me explain.

The squirrel loses three hazelnuts, and he thinks one of his forest friends must've stolen them. So he goes around accusing them all. Each one proclaims their innocence. Eventually, the squirrel finds the missing nuts tucked under some leaves, not stolen after all. His friends are kind of annoyed with him, and tell him that next time he wants to make a fuss about missing nuts, he should look at himself first before accusing them.

This is where the book kind of failed for me. Does the squirrel apologize for his behaviour? Yes, he does... in one sentence that tells rather than shows. Blink and you'll miss it. For a premise based on false accusations, there should've been more made of the apology. Instead, we're told the squirrel apologized, and then we see him eating his nuts.

The illustrations also left me with mixed feelings. Some are really quite lovely. (They look like watercolour to me.) But some of the critters creeped me out a little bit. I think it's the human-like hands that a few of them have.

If the resolution and apology had been handled better, I would've given this one a higher rating. As it is, though, the message is kind of weak and doesn't emphasize enough what the squirrel needed to do to make things right with the other animals.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.43 out of 5