Little acorns can have big adventures too.
The little acorn’s adventure begins when it drops from a huge oak tree in the middle of a great forest. Will it become a meal for a hungry bird or a squirrel? Will it be crushed as it gets trampled by a big burly bear? Will it find moist soil to take root? And once it takes root, will it get enough rain and sunshine to grow?
Throughout the story, we find ourselves “rooting” for the little acorn and hope that nature allows it to complete its journey and grow into a healthy, strong sapling.
The delicate balance of nature is captured in the text by Sylvia Rouss and paired with rich, colorful illustrations by Rick Penn-Kraus, showing how plants, animals and weather—all of nature—work together to help the acorn take root.
“A beautifully written and illustrated tale of renewal, hope and possibility.” — Mark Vickers-Willis, K-8 Director, New Roads School, and Founder, Critical Conversations
“At its heart, this is a story about the role of community—that everyone plays a part in nurturing the Little Acorn, even if that takes place over time, and one helper does not know the next who will help along Little Acorn’s journey. What a beautiful paradigm for raising children, for the way we care for each other.” — Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller, Temple Beth Torah
“The Little Acorn’s Big Adventure is a delight to both the eye and the ear. The richness of the illustrations is complemented by the spareness of the text in which not a word is wasted. It is a book to be read over and over, each time finding something new to see and to think about.” — Diane Hart, Educator and author of more than 50 textbooks
“The Little Acorn’s Big Adventure is a gentle, lyrical journey through the life cycle of an acorn, introducing young readers to the wonder and magic of forest life.” — Barbara Bietz, Jewish Books for Kids…and More!
“A gorgeously illustrated book. It beautifully tells the story of how the mighty oak grows from the humble acorn, with an elegance masked in silent complexity.” — Tara Treiber, K-12 Director of Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment, New Roads School
“The vivid illustrations and minimal text provide the reader with a beautiful immersive experience as the little acorn struggles to become a tree. This story lends itself to many topics for discussion with young children.” — Gabrielle Radonsky, National Board Certified Teacher and 25 year veteran of Beverly Hills Unified School District
“This cute book makes the science accessible for the youngest readers. Little ones may know that acorns become trees. But they may wonder how. 'What happens along the way?’ This acorn doesn’t merely get dropped from the tree. It is carried away by a bird, chewed by a chipmunk, squished into the ground by a heavy bear, and buried by a squirrel. Rouss writes about all those animals tucked in for the winter, just like the acorn is tucked in under the ground and a blanket of snow. And, in the spring, we see all the animals again as the sapling begins to grow. She draws the reader into the process and the fantastic Rick Penn-Kraus illustrations bring the reader into the forest. I could almost see the chipmunk’s cheeks moving as he chewed at the acorn.” — Julie Ditton, Storybook Lady
Dragonfeather Books
38 pp. ● 11x8.5
$16.95 (pb) ● $5.99 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-960373-79-3 (pb)
JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / Trees & Forests
JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / General
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / General
Publication date: November 4, 2025
Sylvia Rouss grew up in California and first began writing for the children in her preschool class. As an early childhood educator, she was the recipient of awards for both creative teaching and excellence in Jewish education. Sylvia credits the children in her classroom for her inspiration. She is the author of over fifty published books, including the Sammy Spider series as well as the Littlest series. She received the National JewishBook Award for her story “The Littlest Pair," and the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel and Mitzvah the Mutt. Sammy Spider’s First Shavuot and Tali’s Jerusalem Scrapbook were named Sydney Taylor Notable Books.
Sylvia resides in Oxnard with her husband Jeff, and has three married adult children and seven grandchildren. Besides family and writing, she
maintains a busy schedule that includes lecturing and book readings throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. Her stories have been
translated into Spanish, Dutch, French, and Portuguese.
Rick Penn-Kraus loves to draw. He started as a child drawing on his bedroom walls, then on floors, paper, and finally on computers. Rick is an award winning creative director, with projects that include graphic design, photography, illustration, and fine art.
Rick authored the book Steve McQueen: The Last Interview and illustrated You’re Not Invited! An Ooey-Gooey’s Adventure, also written by Sylvia Rouss. Rick began his career in magazines and book publishing, leading graphics departments at Price Stern Sloan and Dove Books, where he designed hundreds of books. He also teaches software classes throughout the country, as well as comic book cartooning and guitar, and has taught at schools that include UCLA andHarvard-Westlake. Rick participates actively in numerous volunteer arenas, including performing music at local hospitals and helping at schools in the area. He lives in Los Angeles with his family.