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From Penguin Random House website
Who knew that one little noise could set off a whole cacophony? In this chain-reaction story, the animal world wakes
up with a squeak!
Early one morning, a gentle breeze tickles the ear of a small mouse, and he wakes up with a squeak! That squeak wakes up the
chipmunks, who rattle tree branches and knock pinecones into the river. Those pinecones wake the trout, who splash around
and wake up an elk on the riverbank.
And so goes the story of Squeak!, a chain-reaction story set in a beautiful, rolling landscape with animals who are all woken
up one by one with the rising of the sun. With lush and vivid art, and plenty of fun animal noises on each page, this story is a
perfect read-aloud to wake up to – or to read any time of day.
Praise for Squeak!
"The text is melodic and vivid [and] a joy to read aloud . . . A surefire hit for storytime,
one-on-one reading, and gift giving."
— Booklist (starred review)
"This adorable circular story for young readers is a great way to start or end the day with a little humor."
— School Library Journal (starred review)
"A delightful, onomatopoeic introduction to the interactive sounds of awakening animals."
— Kirkus Reviews
The Inside Story of Squeak!
At its heart, Squeak! is a story about interconnectedness. When we went to Yellowstone National Park on our scouting
trip for Little Wolf's First Howling, we were amazed by all the animals there, from the tiniest birds to the park's big bison. I guess a seed was planted for another Yellowstone story. It's such an amazing place!
In my first drafts of Squeak!, the animals used human speech. My editor suggested I try telling the story without any of
the animals speaking. We decided to let the animals be as they are in nature, and have the things that happen to them be things
that really could occur in nature. I think it makes for a stronger story.
This is the second book my sister, Kate, and I have illustrated together. I have tremendous respect for her sense of color and light.
She brings my black and white illustrations alive. Both of these books wouldn't be what they are without Kate's skill. In Little Wolf,
she portrayed the end of day going into night. In Squeak!, it's the edge of night coming into day. I love the way she captures
the light.
I'm also so lucky to be friends with Max Waugh, whose life's work includes photographing the animals of Yellowstone. A lot of the
inspiration for my Yellowstone creatures came from Max's photos, like the one of the two bear cubs tumbling together.
Kate and I have a third book in works, also with Philomel, that is set at the ocean. Again, she's doing the light from the end of the
day into evening. Keep a watch out for Ocean Lullaby in the future.
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