There are many books I loved when I was a girl, but my very favorite of all was Miss Suzy by Miriam Young with pictures by Arnold Lobel (of Frog & Toad fame). I would make my mother read the story to me every night without fail. If she was tired and skipped a page to speed up the process, I would innocently point out that she'd missed a page and could she please go back and read it. In fact, my own copy was read so frequently that the covers came off and were lost long ago (see photo, left). About 10 years back I found a vintage copy with its cover intact and scooped it up (photo, right).

Originally published in 1964 by Parents Magazine Press (a 40th anniversary edition came out in 2004 from Purple House), Miss Suzy tells the story of a little gray squirrel who lives in a tidy home at "the tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree." One day some mean red squirrels kick Miss Suzy out of her house and she seeks refuge in the attic of an old abandoned (human) house nearby. There she finds an elegant dollhouse in need of a good housekeeper and a friendly band of toy soldiers to spend the winter with. Come springtime, the toy soldiers reclaim Miss Suzy's oak-tree home and she is very happy once more.

A few years ago I discovered there had been follow ups, one called Miss Suzy's Easter Surprise--not such a favorite for me--and Miss Suzy's Birthday Surprise which I have yet to find. I just spotted it used on Barnes & Noble for more than $60! (Another day I will write about my love of finding old kids books for under $1.) As far as the original story goes, I highly recommend it!