Eagle River author, Northland Pines student team up for children’s book

After Eagle River paralegal Sandra Dixon Kirby finished writing her second children’s book, a chance courthouse encounter led her to an unlikely new illustrator — Northland Pines eighth grader Austin J. Fuller.

Last summer, Kirby ran into Fuller’s mother in the hallway of the Vilas County Courthouse. As they caught up, Kirby mentioned she was searching for an illustrator for her latest children’s book, “Rufus the Red Squirrel and Friends: Nothing to Be Scared Of.”

“She goes, ‘Well, my son Austin likes to draw,’” Kirby recalled. “And I said, ‘Let me see some of his work.’ So I went into her office, she pulled him up on the phone, and I was so impressed.”

Kirby was going through breast cancer treatment at the time, and said the collaboration was a welcome distraction.

“I thought this would be a really great idea — for me, to keep my mind off the chemotherapy, and for Austin, to give him something new to try.”

“It was very unexpected, but I was really grateful,” Fuller said of being asked to illustrate a book for the first time. “Not many people get an opportunity like that at my age.”

The book explores themes of fear and respect for nature as Rufus the red squirrel and his friends — Terra the Turtle and Rex the Raccoon — venture into the woods and stumble upon a mysterious piece of trash. A discarded can that moves on its own gives them a fright and a mystery to solve.

Told in rhyme, the story draws inspiration from Dr. Seuss and the forests and creatures of the North Woods.

During the collaboration process, the two met weekly at the library. With only Kirby’s previous picture book for guidance, Fuller set out to draw the characters and scenes, stanza by stanza.

“I said, ‘These are the characters — you can make them however you want,’” Kirby said. “And it was so wonderful because they were in my head, and he brought them to life. I didn’t have any picture in my mind of what it would really look like until he did this.”

Fuller, a multi-sport athlete, has always loved drawing and said the experience made him realize he might want to pursue a career as a professional illustrator.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I feel like I could do that.”

Further cementing the book as a true local labor of love, Eagle River-based Hahn Printing printed the book this fall. Kirby and Fuller recently held their first live reading for a group of second graders at Eagle River Elementary School, and they’re hoping to host another at Eagle River Roasters next.

Given its nature theme, Kirby also dreams of getting the book into tribal schools. “I know that a lot of our Native peoples believe in the sacredness of our earth. It’s a huge thing that they teach. I would hope that this could get out in that vein as well. I’d love them to have this book in their library. I think it would be beneficial,” she said.

Ultimately, for Kirby, the finished product is more than a book — it’s a reminder that she can get through tough times.

“It got me out of the deepest, darkest part of cancer treatment,” she said. “I looked forward to meeting with Austin — it was the best thing that could have ever happened. It kept me moving forward with what I needed to do. I couldn’t be more proud of him, and I’m so thankful his mom and I ran into each other that day in the hallway.”

Copies of “Rufus the Red Squirrel and Friends: Nothing to Be Scared Of” are available at the following Eagle River businesses: Eagle River Roasters, Grandma’s Toy Box, Roots Juice Bar, and Offshoot Books & Vinyl.