Show Time (14 page)
Dear Readers,
You may not believe me when I tell you this, but I got the idea for a squirrel interrupting job interviews because it happened to me! I wasn’t sure what to do. No one addresses this in any of the “how to ace your interview” articles. I finally pointed it out, and the interviewer said just what Mr. Fox says in the book—“I don’t want to hurt it. I just want it to go away!”
Squirrels can be a real challenge. A former tenant in our old farmhouse used to open seventy-five-pound bags of sunflower seeds and dump them in the driveway for the squirrels. When we moved in more than ten years ago, those squirrels were not happy that we didn’t open bags for them, too. In fact, they came up and scolded me through the screen door. After a while, they forgot about the food and settled for chewing holes in our house and nesting in our attic. We live-trapped three little red squirrels while I was writing this book! As soon as we find the holes and patch them, they chew new ones.
We’ve also got great squirrels at the newly renovated park area next to our Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and in Riverside Park. When I’m rollerblading along the river, I sometimes pretend they are lining up to watch me—they’re really hoping I’m one of those people who throw peanuts—and I bow to them just like Keisha does.
As we writers like to say to one another, “Show, don’t tell.” In
Show Time
I’ve tried to show you all the ways I’ve seen squirrels make mischief. I bet you could show me a few more.
P.S. There really is a squirrel-feeding club at the University of Michigan. Visit it online at
www.michigansquirrels.com
.
P.P.S. To keep seed stealers from our bird feeders, we’ve mounted squirrel baffles on the feeder poles. These metal cones are easy to install and keep squirrels from climbing up the poles. But very determined squirrels can sometimes get around them. Raccoon baffles are a longer version. That’s what finally worked with the crazy squirrels on our property.
I would like to thank my family—my sons, Max and Walter Gilles, and my husband, Roger (who have trapped and relocated more than their fair share of critters). Also the national organization USA Jump Rope for bringing this cool sport to more schools. Visit it online at
www.usajumprope.org
. Click on “Watch Our All-Star Demo” to see jump rope performances that defy gravity.
Sue Stauffacher lives with her husband and sons in a 150-plus-year-old farmhouse in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Over the years, possums, bats, raccoons, mice, squirrels, crows, ducks, woodchucks, chipmunks, voles, skunks, bunnies, and a whole bunch of other critters have lived on the property. Though Sue is not a rehabilitator herself, she is passionate about helping kids know what to do when the wild meets the child.
Sue’s novels for young readers include
Harry Sue, Donutheart,
and
Donuthead,
which
Kirkus Reviews
called “touching, funny, and gloriously human” in a starred review. Her most recent picture book,
Nothing but Trouble,
won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Children. Besides writing children’s books, Sue is a frequent visitor to schools as a speaker and literacy consultant, drawing on two decades of experience as a journalist, educator, and program administrator. To learn more about Sue and her books, visit her on the Web at
www.suestauffacher.com
.
