NUTMEG AND BARLEY, by Janie Bynum
AR Level: 3.2 Points: .5

Despite the fact that on the surface they have nothing in common and are in fact, quite opposite in personality, Nutmeg and Barley are destined to be great friends. Barley is a mouse that lives in a hollow log under and old pecan tree which is the home of Nutmeg the squirrel. Nutmeg loves noise and chatter, and Barley would rather sit in a quiet breeze and play some soft music in the evenings. After some unfortunate miscommunication, Nutmeg finds Barley sick in bed and nurses him back to help, after which a beautiful friendship is born. I enjoyed watching the characters’ expressions in this book—the artist did a fine job of capturing their emotions.