Harrison Markowsky '21

Graphic Design Major

“Hi, Mister Squirrel!” Children’s Book

I wrote, illustrated and published a children’s book that teaches children squirrels are silly, lovable creatures and should be treated with care.

For many people growing up, they are taught and shown squirrels are nothing but pests. They are constantly run over on our roads and many people actively try to get squirrels off of their yard with contraptions that can physically hurt them. I believe this is wrong. Squirrels and all animals alike should be treated with love and care.

For my Senior Capstone Project, I wrote, illustrated, and published a children’s book titled, “Hi, Mister Squirrel!” My goal is to teach young children (and maybe their parents too) squirrels should not be seen as pests, but loved and cared for. The story for this book is taken directly from my experiences with squirrels in my backyard and how I learned to love them. Like my story, I actually do feed my squirrels every day, give them all names, and talk to them. For me, it’s not just something I do because I want to help out the squirrels, but these interactions can of course bring a lot of enjoyment to oneself as well. Along with the story being taken from my real-life squirrel interactions, almost all of the illustrations were drawn using reference photos I took of my squirrels in my yard.

If you would like a more in-depth look into “Hi, Mister Squirrel!,” please visit my personal website. Also, if you want to take a look at my daily interactions with squirrels, please visit and follow @mistersquirreldaily on Instagram.