Scruffle-Nut

Scruffle-Nut by Corinne Fenton, illustrated by Owen Swan
 
As winter leaves turn, an older Olivia remembers a childhood visit to the city park with her Nanny Clementine. There she noticed a small, stumpy-tailed squirrel being chased away by the others—the same kind of loneliness Olivia knew from being whispered about and excluded by girls at school.
 
Olivia names the little squirrel Scruffle-Nut and recognises that he is wise, brave and strong. In seeing those qualities in another outsider, she begins to find the courage to see them in herself.
 
Corinne Fenton’s lyrical storytelling and Owen Swan’s soft, wintry illustrations create a quiet, emotionally perceptive picture book about difference, bullying, empathy and the lasting importance of being seen.