Cover Photo: A photograph of a squirrel in Central Park eating an acorn, wary of the camera being pointed at it
Photograph by Lenora Todaro for Catapult

How Do You Count All the Squirrels in Central Park?

“If you’re worried and you can’t sleep / count your squirrels rather than sheep.”

kuk kuk kuk! , quaa , muk-muk

Sciurus carolinensis

Lenora Todaro writes for adults and children about wildlife, ecology, places, and books. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Afar, the Atlantic, Bookforum, the Village Voice, and elsewhere. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers  and a volunteer interpreter with the Wildlife Conservation Society.  Her picture book, Sea Lions in the Parking Lot: Animals on the Move in a Time of Pandemic, is a Green Earth Book Award Shortlist Nominee, and a Bank Street Best Children’s book of 2022. She is a city girl who loves the ocean. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.