Such an animal is difficult to tame and always likely, when suddenly alarmed, to give our finger a nasty nip with its teeth. While dipping into The Children's Encyclopaedia of 1910, Axel Scheffler came across a small but indispensible guide to procuring and caring for your pet squirrel. Intrigued by the unlikely notion of a child attempting to keep so wild an animal. Axel created a series of delightful, beautifully finished illustrations to accompany the text.

Author Biography

Axel Scheffler has achieved worldwide acclaim for his illustration. The Gruffalo, published in 1999, has become a modern classic, selling more than two million copies worldwide and translated into more than twenty languages. He is the author of many other award-winning titles, including The Gruffalo's Child, Monkey Puzzle, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and Tiddler. An edition of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats with Axel's illustrations was published by Faber in 2009. Born in Germany, he now lives in London.