Strawberry and Nutty get caught up in some woodland pranks in Chris Monroe's new picture book Sasquatch and Squirrel. The story begins with the meeting of the two title character. It doesn't take long for the energetic squirrel to coax the mild-mannered sasquatch into a series of rascally adventures. "I really wanted it to be a buddy story where they really are different personalities," says Monroe.
The squirrel, Nutty, might look familiar. Squirrels are a mainstay in Monroe's comic Violet Days. However, even for the most devoted fans of Monroe, the other character will be new. "Strawberry, the sasquatch, was inspired by - believe it or not - the gas station in Remer, Minnesota," says Monroe of a town that is a supposed hot-bed for sasquatch activity. Creating Strawberry involved a drafting process that included roughly one hundred different designs.
Sasquatch and Squirrel is available through several online outlets as well as at local bookstores... and at a hardware store. "Marshall Hardware, where I used to work, has a huge section devoted to my books," says Monroe. "And all the books are signed out there."
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
