Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk A Modest Bestiary

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Average customer rating 4.7 (20 comments)

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Got this for Christmas, and Whoa! Liked it way better than I thought I would - much harsher and more caustic than anything he's done before. Like Aesop but much scarier and meaner. I'd read it again too just to enjoy his perfect command of everyday American speech. He is a national treasure.

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I really enjoyed Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. Sedaris used a common medium in a new way, and I think he pulled it off nicely.

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When I first opened this bestiary, after curiously spying it several times at book stores, I was shocked at how different it was from what I had imagined. My (humble) guess was that Sedaris had written a compilation of cute short stories that came from the view of various animals. If I had read any of his books before, perhaps I would've known the state of these stories. But my surprise, I think, made the book that much better. David Sedaris's "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" symbolizes our behaviors by writing them from animals themselves; the hair stylist baboon and the pet-loving mouse are only part of the story. You'll love these tales (even the slightly disturbing ones) and maybe, just maybe, they'll teach some obscure riddle of what is our society.

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Like Aesop's for adults. Maybe slightly twisted adults.

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Imagine love from a chipmunk’s view. Or the flawed compassion of a mouse and his pet snake. Or a worker uprising instigated by a whiny, foul-mouthed duck. David Sedaris’ tiny book of quirky animal tales has at least one little gem on the human condition in every chapter. His comical new-world bestiary shines a pretty harsh light on our motivations, flaws, and goodness.

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Lovely and absurd, just how I like my Sedaris.

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Another fun book by the talented Mr. Sedaris. His stories never cease to entertain the reader. This time around his characters are all animals - literally. While they participate in human activities and interact like people, their animal-nature often determines their fate. The idea of a dog-eat-dog world, as well as survival of the fittest, comes to mind while reading these short tales. Fantastic illustrations accompany the stories and make reading the book even more enjoyable. If you're in the mood for a quick, clever and humorous read, be sure to check out this new book.

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A delightful easy read that jabs at American society with humor. The illustrations complement the short stories beautifully, and the characters' adventures create many moments of laughter for the reader.

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At the same time I love the tiny stories, I also wish for more. David Sedaris' animals are teaching me to be a better human.

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this book made me laugh out loud multiple times. david sedaris has a deeply simple way of writing, that jackhammers into my mind with his words!!

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Love this book, because it freaked me out at times! Sedaris is too funny!

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I have been a fan of David Sedaris since I first heard a broadcast of his work on NPR (probably apartment cleaning in NYC or the Santaland Diaries). I have read his subsequent books and enjoyed them greatly, but even I was not prepared for how good this book was. It is definitely Sedaris' best (so far). Thank you David and I hope this vote helps you win.

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I always find all books by David Sedaris very enjoyable. He never fails to entertain.

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I love David Sedaris!

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Sedaris writing fables?! My only disappointment is that he didn't do it sooner.

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Delicious and devious: this is Sedaris at his comic best, this time channeling adult farce into the personifications of crazy animal characters in fictional stories that are a far cry from children's fairy tales - these are all adult bedside readings that will leave you laughing and smiling before the snooze!

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This is an excellent book. I loved it and as I was reading it I was sure that some would not love it. Mr. Sedaris renders his modern day fables with great skill and with all the transgressive content of traditional stories everywhere. Grimm's fairy tales are pretty risque' in their original, many traditional Native American, indigenous African, and Asian tales are just as surprising in their violence, sexuality, and cruelty. These are wonderful and can be takan, like any fine fable, simply as wonderful stories or as something deeper.

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After hearing David Sedaris read The Cat and Baboon story on NPR, I couldn't wait to pick up Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. It did not disappoint. In each story, you'll recognize people you know in each of the animals. There's an almost inevitable twist in each tale, but arrived at in such a clever fashion that you just have to marvel at Sedaris' warped sense of humor. Haven't we all had days when we've had enough of an overly optimistic acquaintance and secretly wished something would wipe the smile off their perky face? The horrific conclusion to the story about the lab rats might forever cure you. I am only sorry that I heard Sedaris read this book first, as it does loose some of his wonderful delivery when read silently. P.S. To think the illustrator of the beloved Olivia books could sketch such truly sick pictures is mindblowing!

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If one could look inside David Sedaris' brain we would find the most amazing landscape ever seen! In his new book "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" he takes us on a wild ride of imagination ... peeking into the rectum of a hippo or attending AA meetings with cats and a naked mink. How does he think up these things? Sedaris is a national treasure and I adore him.

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I am not a huge fan of David Sedaris but when I heard a reading of "The Sick Rat and The Healthy Rat" from a recent episode of This American Life, I became a fan instantly. The short stories from Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk reminded me much of Aesop's Fables but with a modern twist to them. The Illustrations in SsC are cute except when they are gruesome and the language and themes in this book are of adult nature. Overall, it is a good book and I look forward to a sequel to this wonderful book.