WILD LARK BOOKS

Introducing

PASEL and the FORBIDDEN GARDEN

(NABE Winter 2021 Award Winner)

Children’s Books and Easter Books for Children

Children’s Books and Easter Books for Children

NABE Winter 2021 Award Winner

Pasel is a young, undersized cottontail rabbit with an oversized spirit of adventure.
He faces many challenges growing up in a world filled with danger, but he discovers unexpected friends along the way.

A Letter from Christopher

“My wife Tracy and I live in a remote cabin in “bush” Alaska located many miles from the nearest road and definitely “off-the-grid.” It’s a paradise with abundant wildlife and beautiful scenery. Mt. Susitna, better known as the “Sleeping Lady,” is three miles west of our cabin and rises above the Susitna Valley to almost five thousand feet. Our cabin is only sixty-five feet from the riverbank of the mighty Susitna River which drains more than ten thousand square miles of tributaries. Where we live, the Susitna River is a mile wide and flows into the famous Cook Inlet. George and Gracie, our two resident bald eagles, raise eaglets yearly in a high nest fifty yards from our cabin.

I told nightly stories to my children when they were young. At bedtime, they expected this dad to appear with another exciting story. They especially enjoyed stories about an undersized cottontail rabbit named Pasel. Pasel lived an exciting life with Mama and Daddy Rabbit and his two sisters, Polly and Patty. Their burrow was located under a mighty oak tree on the edge of Farmer Bones’ fifty-acre field.

Pasel faced many threats and found many friends in his various adventures. The challenge of being small yet adventurous created a rich environment for exciting stories. Pasel and the Forbidden Garden is the first Pasel adventure story to be followed by Pasel and the Lost Trail, Pasel and the Forest Gnome, and Pasel and the Artic Hare. Thus, the legend of Pasel Rabbit begins. I hope your children enjoy them as much as mine did.”

– Christopher Hooten

Susitna River, Alaska

Pasel and the Forbidden Garden Children's Book Easter
Christopher Hooten Children's Books

About the Author

Christopher Hooten was born and raised in the Hill Country of Texas before moving to Alaska after college graduation. At fourteen, Chris learned to fly planes and has thousands of hours experience in “bush Alaska” flying.

He lives off-grid in the remote wilderness of the Susitna River Valley in Southcentral Alaska. While his nearest neighbor is nine miles away, he shares the cozy comforts of his cabin with his wife, Tracy, two cats, one dog, and a flock of chickens.

Pasel was first brought to life as a bedtime story Christopher told to his children. While “Pasel and the Forbidden Garden” is the first of a series of stories about our little rabbit friend, Christopher also has additional publications planned about his adventures as an Alaskan bush pilot. 

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