Skeedaddle Chronicles: Tom's Tale is the first book in a series of children's short stories by Robin Hollo. Skeedaddle is a quirky red-tailed squirrel who loves to relate the adventures of his friends living on a farm up north. This story is about Skeedaddle's friend Tom the turkey. Every year during the season of Thanksgiving, Skeedaddle notices the turkeys on the farm getting fed until they are fat, after which the farmer takes them to the market, never to return. Seeing Tom getting the same treatment, he warns him of the upcoming danger. To spare Tom from going to the market this year, Skeedaddle seeks the help of the wise old brown mare, Shyann. A little boy named Ben also makes an effort to stop Tom from being a part of this year's Thanksgiving feast.

Skeedaddle Chronicles is a brilliant start to Robin Hollo's children's book series that seeks to instill a love of animals in kids at a tender age. Kids developing empathy and love for animals at a young age has been proven to make them compassionate and caring individuals as adults. Books like these go a long way to ensure they find that connection early on. The colorful illustrations and Hollo's fun and engaging writing style make the book a joy to read. The characters are immensely likable, and their quirky traits make the story all the more entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I am sure kids will love it too.

Skeedaddle is a red squirrel that lives on an old farmstead. His farm friends include Shyann, an old mare, Tom the turkey, Duke the farmer’s dog, his sister Skiddo, and the farmer’s young grandson, Ben. It is natural for animals to gather food for the winter. As a result, most animals fatten up to survive the cold weather. The old farmer took advantage of this knowledge to feed premium grain to the turkeys to fatten them up. But, unfortunately, the turkeys did not realize that fat, round, plump turkeys were the ones sent to market for Thanksgiving dinner. Robin Hollo’s book, Skeedaddle Chronicles: Tom’s Tale, presents the dilemma of the fat turkeys. What will become of Tom?

Living on a farm can be both joyful and difficult. But, unfortunately, for turkeys, life on a farm can be deadly. Ben overhears his dad and grandfather discussing plans to send all the turkeys to market. Is there anything Ben can do to save his friend Tom from that horrible fate? Read Skeedaddle Chronicles by Robin Hollo to discover the plan hatched by Shyann, the old mare. The rescue plan was developed by several of the animals working together, and Tom implemented the project with the help of Ben and Skeedaddle. Children will love the illustrations and story about this lovable squirrel and his interactions with the other animals and Ben. Reading this book to and with your children is a great launching pad to discuss listening to good advice and how to work together to solve problems. This is a lovely book for young readers.