When two squirrels moved into my attic, I went on a quest to figure out what they were doing. I knocked on the ceiling, and they scratched back. Imagining what they thought and felt, I wrote The Bravest Squirrel Ever. Because I had so much fun writing this book, I continued their adventures with The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest and The Bravest Squirrel in School.
You might say I went a little squirrel crazy! But here's the deal: The fears and emotions my squirrels face are the same ones that kids face as they start to grow up--feelings we've all had to deal with at some point. Reading about sweet, determined, plucky squirrels never giving up despite the tough odds against them, we can discover we're braver and stronger than we ever imagined, just like Pippi, Max and Lana.
The Bravest Squirrel Ever
Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi the squirrel wants to return to her mama’s warm, cozy nest. Instead, she and her siblings stumble on a better nest...in forbidden human territory.
The attic nest is too perfect to resist, and soon she is drawn into a dangerous game of teasing the people. When their teasing goes too far and puts their lives in danger, she is forced to abandon the perfect nest. However, she returns in order to rescue her brother. Instead, she becomes trapped inside.
With little food and the humans plotting her demise, Pippi must depend on her wits to survive, proving to herself and the world just how brave a little squirrel can be.
The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest
Everyone thinks Max’s sister is braver than he is, and he’s sick of it. He’s determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan for the humans to trap him, so he can rescue his Uncle Louie.
But things don’t go according to plan. First, he is forgotten in the cage and sprayed by a skunk. Then he is dumped out of a truck and abandoned in the forest with a hungry coyote hot on his trail.
Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, suddenly Max discovers just how brave he really is.
The Bravest Squirrel in School
My mind is still racing with a lot more squirrelly adventures, so you haven't seen the last of my brave friends. Until then, channel your inner squirrel and be brave!
I'm giving away a print copy (US only) of The Bravest Squirrel Ever to one person who leaves a comment on this post about any experience they've had with squirrels. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!
You might say I went a little squirrel crazy! But here's the deal: The fears and emotions my squirrels face are the same ones that kids face as they start to grow up--feelings we've all had to deal with at some point. Reading about sweet, determined, plucky squirrels never giving up despite the tough odds against them, we can discover we're braver and stronger than we ever imagined, just like Pippi, Max and Lana.
Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi the squirrel wants to return to her mama’s warm, cozy nest. Instead, she and her siblings stumble on a better nest...in forbidden human territory.
The attic nest is too perfect to resist, and soon she is drawn into a dangerous game of teasing the people. When their teasing goes too far and puts their lives in danger, she is forced to abandon the perfect nest. However, she returns in order to rescue her brother. Instead, she becomes trapped inside.
With little food and the humans plotting her demise, Pippi must depend on her wits to survive, proving to herself and the world just how brave a little squirrel can be.
Everyone thinks Max’s sister is braver than he is, and he’s sick of it. He’s determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan for the humans to trap him, so he can rescue his Uncle Louie.
But things don’t go according to plan. First, he is forgotten in the cage and sprayed by a skunk. Then he is dumped out of a truck and abandoned in the forest with a hungry coyote hot on his trail.
Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, suddenly Max discovers just how brave he really is.
Lana has no interest in being brave like her brother and sister. However, she would like to be cuddled by a human, as long as another squirrel is nearby to keep her safe and rescue her.
But the plan goes horribly wrong. She ends up in a school bus full of children with no other squirrel to take care of her. Inside the school, she is discovered by a crowd of children who think she is a toy to poke and toss around.
With no one coming to rescue her, Lana needs to stand up for herself against the playground bullies and figure out a way to get back home. If she’s not brave enough to rescue herself, she’ll be stuck in school forever.
With no one coming to rescue her, Lana needs to stand up for herself against the playground bullies and figure out a way to get back home. If she’s not brave enough to rescue herself, she’ll be stuck in school forever.
My mind is still racing with a lot more squirrelly adventures, so you haven't seen the last of my brave friends. Until then, channel your inner squirrel and be brave!
I'm giving away a print copy (US only) of The Bravest Squirrel Ever to one person who leaves a comment on this post about any experience they've had with squirrels. Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!
I haven't had any bad experiences with squirrels. I enjoy watching the scavenger for food and act so inquisitive.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 20s we had a squirrel who came up on porch every morning and afternoon. My neice who was about 2 then (40 now) would feed the squirrel graham crackers from her hand.
ReplyDeletejrs362 at Hotmail dot com
I HAVE tons of squirrel stories, but I will choose two: I actually got to pet a squirrel one day while she was eating an acorn in our yard...coolest thing - ever! Then one day a squirrel slipped from a tree branch and fell right in front of our dog. Both the dog and squirrel were shocked for a moment, but both came out of the experience unharmed!
ReplyDeleteI once had a squirrel try to climb on my leg. I began screaming and flailing so it ran away
ReplyDeletedez3b@yahoo.com
I haven't had any close encounters with squirrels but every morning at work, this squirrel scurries across the walk way in front of our building. Its seems like a routine for the squirrel.
ReplyDeleteJust the other day, when driving down the hill I live on, I saw a piece of cardboard moving by itself by the side of the road. It was the strangest looking thing I've seen in a while, so I slowed down to get a better look. Turns out there was a squirrel underneath it. He finally managed to tear off a corner of the cardboard, and started eating it! Poor guy! There's a drought here in CA and a lot of my neighbor's lawns are dead. He must have nothing to eat!
ReplyDeleteI ran over a squirrel once. I cried my eyes out, that's how traumatizing it was for me. Then I went home, grabbed some newspapers and a shovel, brought it back to pick up the squirrel and buried it in my parent's backyard.
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot my email. Secret_gurl69 at hotmail dot com
DeleteOur funniest experience with a squirrel involved my daughter in law, my son was in Iraq and she went to the bathroom, with britches down she looked at the commode and in it was a baby squirrel trying to get out, she screamed closed toilet ran out of the bathroom, called her daddy and the city to get the squirrel, it was so funny she still checks the bathroom everytime she goes now..
ReplyDeleteOnce when we were on vacation, we stopped at a park to have a quick roadside picnic before we continued our journey. The park had had many, many squirrels. These squirrels were not afraid of humans and were obviously quite accustomed to getting handouts. I have always been an animal lover, and immediately went to the edge of the park, near the forest and sat down (with treats). Soon, I had squirrels climbing all over me to get treats. One little fellow was a BIT more aggressive than his (or her) kinder, gentler neighbors and ran up to me, jumped into my lap, latched onto my index finger and shook it like a rabid dog with a bone. Yes, he (or she) drew blood. Luckily, I didn't become rabid, but I most certainly learned my lesson about becoming overly friendly with the local wildlife!
ReplyDeleteI haven't personally had any experiences, but my mom had a squirrel run across her foot and leave little claw mark!
ReplyDeleteWe actually just raised a baby squirrel this spring! His name was Simon and he was the sweetest thing and very friendly! Just a few weeks ago we released him back outside. sienkiel1821 at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteI love all of your amazing, funny, sad, cute, and brave squirrel stories. I love them all. Therefore, you are all my blog hop winners. I will send each of you a print copy of The Bravest Squirrel Ever. If you provided your email address, I will email you shortly to get your mailing address. If you didn't leave your address, please email me at sara shafer at rocketmail dot com, so I can hook you up.
ReplyDelete