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Reviewed by Shari Marshall for Readers' Favorite
What is better than animals going to a party and learning along the way? With adorable full-page illustrations by Farrukh A. Ahmed, Marcy Pusey’s picture book, The Survival Squad: Friends, Fear, and a Jungle Journey, is a sweet story about friendship and the power of teamwork. Three friends, Owl, Tiger, and Meerkat, help each other travel through the jungle. Aptly named the Survival Squad, they work together to navigate several potentially dangerous situations—raging rivers, snakes, and more—to celebrate a happy ending together.
The Survival Squad is an entertaining read. It highlights the themes of collaboration, friendship, courage, and problem-solving. However, author Marcy Pusey uses the characters of Owl, Tiger, and Meerkat to represent the body/brain and its physiological reactions to threats. This story is an age-appropriate tool for opening conversations with younger children about these natural survival mechanisms. The author introduces an interactive component before the story to ask readers to identify Tiger’s examples of flight, fight, freeze, and fawn. The facts page after the narrative explains each character as a representation of parts of the brain and their role in fear responses. The friends do not encounter only danger; there are moments of smiling and silliness along the way, like when the group meets a prankster mouse. The narrative and illustrations together create a cohesive and light-hearted feel. The Survival Squad: Friends, Fear, and a Jungle Journey is a recommended read and learning tool for children, parents, educators, and therapists.
