Let's go on a HOMEMADE adventure!

'Squeaky's Big Adventure' is the story of a 'flying squirrel' who builds a hot air balloon and flies it all around the world, only to discover that the best adventures are the ones we share with the people we love.

"The book is a collaboration between Brooke Bourgeois and Lauren Spohn, two Harvard graduates who connected over a love of storytelling that's taken us all the way from our homes in the American South to the United Kingdom, where Brooke recently completed an MA in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art and Lauren is a Rhodes Scholar completing a PhD in History at Oxford." 

Audience: Picture book, ages 3-8. 
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Summary: Squeaky is a squirrel who lives with her grandma in Central Park. One day, as she and Grandma are collecting acorns for supper, Squeaky sees a hot air balloon float across the sky. From then on, Squeaky can’t stop wondering: "What would it be like to fly?" With help from the birds and the bees, Squeaky builds a hot air balloon from bark, twigs, and a big red leaf. She flies it all around the world. She sees massive waterfalls, huge deserts, tall mountains, bustling cities, and so much more, meeting new animals every place she goes. But for all the amazing adventures, something is still missing. Squeaky thinks and thinks and finally realizes what it is: she's lonely. So Squeaky flies back home to Central Park, where Grandma is already waiting for her with a basketful of acorn sandwiches. Grandma climbs aboard the hot air balloon, and she and Squeaky set off on another adventure–together. 

Key Story Selling Points: Squeaky’s Big Adventure celebrates three key themes: 

• Female empowerment. Both Squeaky and Grandma are two female squirrels who love adventure. Their travels around the world encourage young readers to dream big. Squeaky also celebrates women in STEM, aviation, and engineering, with detailed scenes of Squeaky building her hot air balloon and navigating around the globe.  
  
• Ecological and cultural diversity. Squeaky is filled with detailed spreads of all the amazing places Squeaky visits around the world and all the diverse animals she meets there. Young readers see Squeaky flying with Chinese dragons, riding with kangaroos in the Outback, and dancing with guatis in Mexico. These colorful vignettes introduce children to the wonderful wealth of cultural and environmental diversity around the world. 
  
• Intergenerational Family. Squeaky learns to better love and appreciate her grandma over the course of her adventures. Though the world is wonderful, young readers learn that it’s even more wonderful to share those adventures with the people (and the squirrels!) we love. ​
  

The story explores these themes through animal characters, which readers of all genders can relate to. Squeaky’s relationship with Grandma will also help readers appreciate their own grandparents, which will, in turn, encourage parents and grandparents to read the book to their children and grandchildren. In matters of the head, the book teaches young readers about geography, diverse cultures, and ecosystems around the world. In matters of the heart, it aims to teach readers a lesson about the importance of family, which we hope they will take with them for the rest of their lives. 

Ideal Reader: Ideal readers for Squeaky include young readers who love adventure and grandparents and parents who want to inspire kids to dream big. A more specific target audience is the global community of professional and amateur pilots, which Lauren is a proud member of. The aviator community will be a strong source of financial and promotional support for Squeaky’s Big Adventure, as well as a key avenue by which we can bring Squeaky’s story to life through spinoffs from the picture book. ​