Thimbleberry Stories by Cynthia Rylant , Maggie Kneen Search Amazon for other books by or about Cynthia Rylant. Rating: Reviewed by: John L. Hoh, Jr.

I have recently learned that I will be a father for the first time (thank you for your congratulations). And in the process, I have been reading some children's books (well, okay, they were review copies sent to me, but who's keeping track?).

Thimbleberry Stories is a collection of tales about Nigel Chipmunk. It starts with the story of Dipper the Hummingbird moving in. Also included are tales (or is it "tails?") of Little Owl, who tried to be happy with things but never was, Claudius the brown garter snake, Copper the swallowtail butterfly, and Mudpuppy the Salamander.

The book is rich in diversity (Dipper moves to Thimbleberry Lane for variety; her previous home in the poppy gardens only had hummingbirds). Nigel is also a thoughtful chipmunk-he always finds a gift to bring before setting out to drop in on friends.

A delightful book that children will enjoy with fascinating characters.