Welcome to The Adventures of Wonky Willy!
Willy was a delightful little Douglas squirrel who frequented our bird feeders one summer, making himself happy and content in the donut-shaped feeder attached to our deck. He would literally kick back, lean his elbow on the rim, and dig in to the varied seeds and nuts we placed there for him. He came to our deck at ten o’clock each morning like clockwork, and we fell in love with him. Annie, our collie, took notice of him too, and she would sometimes follow him along the deck looking very interested. Willy would tease her, bouncing along just in front of her.
Then one day we noticed that his head was bobbing up and down and tilted slightly to the side, and he was holding one of his front paws against his chest. In spite of these problems, he soldiered on and continued climbing the trees in our garden and foraging for food.
I spoke to the Wildlife Specialist in our area, and she suggested I bring him in for evaluation and treatment, which we did. I was so taken by this brave little fellow that I just had to write a story about him. To find out what happened, you’ll have to read the book!
In this delightful, heartwarming, beautifully illustrated read-aloud story for children five to ten years old, you’ll learn about squirrels, their challenging lives in the forest, and explore the meaning of love as it relates to wild animals. It’s the perfect gift for any child–your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors or the children of friends, especially with Christmas on the horizon.
This book is splendidly illustrated by Motoko Lewis. An extremely talented artist, she specializes in portraits of animals. You can see in the portrait of Annie below how she captures the soul of her subjects in these paintings. Here is a link to her portraits of Vera (the star subject of my novel, Finding Vera.) You can contact Motoko through her website.
Kerry Claire and dogs 