What's been said about Squirrel and Oak:

"Your book is such a wonderful metaphor for finding hope after loss and incorporating continuing bonds into our lives.  We appreciate all you do for Open To Hope and for the grieving world.  You are an example to all that life does go on after loss."
Heidi Horsley, PsyD, LMSW, MS,Executive Director: Open to Hope Foundation ,CBS Radio Host: The Open To Hope Show,Columbia University:  Adjunct Professor

"Death can cut through us like a living buzz saw, but as squirrel discovers in this beautiful book, death isn't final. This is a powerful story for all ages and we guarantee it will take your hand and go by your side through your own journey of death, grief and life." 
Joy Johnson, Co-Founder, Centering Corporation and Ted E Bear Hollow, a center for grieving children.

"As a recent widow and mother of two young sons whose father died, I relate so much to this story.  As I read it, I feel acceptance of wherever I am in my process of grief.  I feel readers of all ages will also feel this.  Squirrel and Oak offers hope of moving through grief and coming to acceptance after loss.  I love this open-hearted and spiritual book!" 
Kathy B., widow and mother

"I found this story to be a powerful catalyst to help process the struggle one goes through when we experience grief and loss. The fragility of life and relationships, such as the one between squirrel and oak, become a transformative power in the realization that the world moves through us as a journey to the infinite life of the spirit. Megan has truly created a story from the heart that gives the gift of peace, love and hope to all children (and adults as well!)." 
Diana Boehnert, Coordinator of ART for Healing, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT and Founder of RxART Central

About the Book:
Squirrel and Oak: A Story of Hope is a journey into and through the bereavement process addressing a difficult topic in a gentle and inspiring way. Death can be a challenging experience, especially for children. Squirrel and Oak is a story about the cycles of nature and the changing of forms. It is a story that is relevant and pertinent for anyone at any age who has had to say goodbye to someone they loved. 

It was inspired by the author’s real life experience of losing her mother and brother within a month of each other at age 19. The daughter of a high school English teacher, Megan used writing and drawing for the next twenty years to express her feelings about losing her family.  This helped prepare her to write Squirrel and Oak, a story that took ten years to complete.  She has taken what she learned about the grief process and has made a difficult topic accessible to children. 

In her own life Megan found it difficult to adequately express all the complex emotions surrounding her loss and she recognized that for young people this could be even more difficult.  Megan made it her mission to write a book that children of all ages could use as a vehicle to have a deeper conversation about life and death.  Also in having characters that children can relate to in the Narrator and Squirrel, it can help them feel more understood and less alone.




About the Author: 

Megan has been teaching art and theater in unique and varied enviroments for nearly 20 years. She is dedicated to creating opportunities for children and adults to express their most difficult emotions through the creative arts. In her book, Squirrel and Oak: a Story of Hope Megan comes full circle in her own grief process and offers it as an inspiration to anyone of any age who has experienced loss or who may be facing death themselves.   
These days Megan can be found in Austin, Tx. living with her sweetheart Joshua and their two cats. She is busy painting, writing, and being excited with Squirrel and Oak's debut!

About the Illustrators:

Megan Prescott and Cheryl Wawryzynowicz first met each other in Vermont and then crossed paths again years later in Austin, Texas. Here they decided to collaborate on this very special project and worked as a wonderful team  creating the characters and 'feel' of Squirrel and Oak. The illustrations were completed in two distinct mediums to create a visual change as the story moves from the narrator into the dream and back out again. The character of Squirrel is adorable, endearing, and will touch the heart of any child, old or young.

Megan is currently an art instructor at the Austin Museum of Art and is busy scheduling schools and grief centers for author/ illustrator visits. More of Megan's artwork and her interest in the therapeutic use of art can be viewed by clicking on the 'healing arts' button above.

Cheryl also teaches at the AMOA and is an artist for hire.  To see more of Cheryl's work please visit:  www.wojosportraits.com .
 
Please feel free to contact Megan with comments at: meganprescott11@gmail.com