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Hi there!
I have the coolest and the most unique opportunity and giveaway to share with you today! If your family is at all like ours, you spent years watching and loving the animated kids’ series, “Veggie Tales.” Well, one of the creators of “Veggie Tales” and the voice of Larry the Cucumber himself, Mike Nawrocki, has penned a fantastic series of children’s books about some brand-new heroes of his own creation: “The Dead Sea Squirrels!” And not only is there a book series…but a Kickstarter campaign which will enable the book series to be turned into a video series, starting today!
Mike Nawrocki, producer Steve Taylor, and Disney animator Tom Bancroft (who all teach in the film/arts department at Lipscomb College) are banding together to bring this fun and family-friendly book series to life in video.
THE DEAD SEA SQUIRRELS tells the story of Merle and Pearl, 2,000-year-old squirrels from Israel who were petrified in sea salt in the caves of the Dead Sea, where 12-year-old Michael discovers them 2000 years later and sneaks them into his backpack to bring them home. The zany adventures of this salty couple and their new friend are full of adventure, humor and character-building lessons. And just as with VeggieTales, Nawrocki once again uses high quality animation to teach biblical principles that families can trust.
About the books
Authored by Mike Nawrocki (you remember, the creator of Silly Songs, the voice of Larry the Cucumber and Veggie Tales co-creator), The Dead Sea Squirrels Book Set is a chapter book series for kids in grades 1-5 (ages 6-10). Each book is approximately 128 pages long, making the book series perfect either for family read-alouds or for children reading on their own. Merle and Pearl are a pair of Dead Sea Squirrels (yes, THAT Dead Sea) from Israel, that Michael found on a trip there. They were petrified, so he thought they’d make a fantastic souvenir. Turns out when they were exposed to rain back in the U.S., they un-petrified and came to life!
The pair of squirrels lived during the life of Christ, and had the privilege of seeing many of His miracles and teachings, which they are able to relate to Michael. Because of course, all those lessons from the Bible really do help us today with our own struggles, issues, and relationships. Here’s a short list of the book titles:
- Book One: Squirreled Away
- Book Two: Boy Meets Squirrels
- Book Three: Nutty Study Buddies
- Book Four: Squirrelnapped!
- Book Five: Tree-mendous Trouble
- Book Six: Whirly Squirrelies
Each book is written by Mike Nawrocki and accompanied by Luke Séguin-Magee’s marvelous and colorful illustrations. Mike’s quirky and hilarious humor is evident, as he take issues kids face, turns them into fiction, and adds words of wisdom from the Bible (and Dead Sea Squirrels!). These would be a fantastic addition to any family library, and you can easily see why they’d make such an exceptional video series!
The Dead Sea Squirrels Book Series on Amazon will show you more!
About the Kickstarter & how you can be involved
The team has already completed the pilot video episode of The Dead Sea Squirrels. Now, they’re using crowdfunding to raise money to create and produce the rest of the season! If you’ve seen Veggie Tales (ever or at all), you know Mike Nawrocki’s history. Together with Tom Bancroft from Disney, and producer Steve Taylor (who worked on Blue Like Jazz and with band Sixpence None the Richer), the team is creating Christ-focused, hilarious, God-honoring great animated stories featuring Merle and Pearl the Dead Sea Squirrels as they look on the life of Jesus and His ministry. (That’s all after they’re encased in Dead Sea salt, discovered by Michael and tucked into his backpack on a trip to Israel, and flown back to the U.S. Where, they get caught in a rainstorm and come back to life to share adventures with Michael and his family and friends!)
Starting February 16, 2021, the Dead Sea Squirrels Kickstarter campaign begins! Just click on the Kickstarter link below for more information. There is a ton of very cool and fun swag for donors! You can make history as a Founding Backer, helping to bring The Dead Sea Squirrels to life. If 8,000 people each give $25, that would pay for an entire episode of the new video series. (Although you could certainly donate more, or less.) Their goal is to raise just over $1 million, which will enable them to create an entire first season. What would that cover? Animation, production, audio, direction, staff creators…and so much more. All the way to the finished product!
Visit the The Dead Sea Squirrels Kickstarter campaign here
You can also follow The Dead Sea Squirrels on social media! Mike Nawrocki will have huge announcements to make about The Dead Sea Squirrels there. And, please share the links! If you loved Veggie Tales, I know you can certainly see the potential in this video series.
And, watch this entertaining video with Mike Nawrocki, Disney producer Tom Bancroft, and producer Steve Taylor all about the DS Squirrels and the Kickstarter campaign!
The Dead Sea Squirrels Promo Video on Vimeo
This all sounds amazing! But, a caveat: like all Kickstarter campaigns, The Dead Sea Squirrels campaign is open for a limited time only. Here’s the note from Kickstarter: All or nothing. This project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Thu, April 1 2021 10:59 PM MDT. So, if you’d love to see an amazing new video series with the quality, joy, and Christ-honoring stories, consider joining the campaign and helping bring The Dead Sea Squirrels to life!
And, how to enter the book set giveaway!
To enter the giveaway to win the book set of The Dead Sea Squirrels, simply click on the “Enter here!” link below. That will take you to a Giveaway Tools entry form, where you’ll be able to enter in a variety of ways. Giveaway ends 2/23/21. One winner will win the book set. Best wishes!
Enjoy…and don’t forget to check out the Kickstarter campaign! –Wren
DISCLOSURE: Disclosure: Many thanks to Momentum Influencers for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
finchnwren 