Tales from the Beaver Lodge

Book excerpt: Little Berry, born in the savage Maine wilderness, watches as her father is swept away by a flood wave and her mother is carried off by savage wolves, never to be seen again. Orphaned and alone, she is discovered by the kindly Ms. Parks, who operates a trading store in the remote valley not far from Bar Harbor known as the Valley of the Four Ponds. Mentored by Ms. Parks, Little Berry stuns her when she begins to speak and soon can read books. Not only can Little Berry speak English, she can speak numerous languages. It was if she had been alive for many years and even perhaps had existed as many beings and maybe had once been human. Surrounded by savage wolves and bears, Little Berry rallies a small band of young beavers to her side. Realizing Little Berrys great abilities, the beavers elect her as their queen. Her cousins, the twins, better known as Chunk and Crunch, become her bodyguards. Soon the Queen is winning over some of the bears, such as Sleepy Pete, with great kindness while fighting the wolves led by such fierce leaders as One-Eyed Jack and the Devils Breath. Along the way, Toasty, a tall lean bull beaver, learns to start fires and fly a plane. The Queen, with the help of the twins, finds a giant egg in a cave, which reveals the greatest surprise of all. Added to the mix of tales is Catalina Cougar, who kidnaps the Queen, but in the end, she is saved by a small kit beaver known as Little Ace. There are beaver baseball games and many other tales of adventure as the Queen and her furry friends meet the wolves in the climatic battle. Within these pages are many tales of fun and adventure as told by the Queen and her bucktoothed friends.