Oskar's Voyage

A tiny
chipmunk named Oskar accidentally stows away on an enormous Great Lakes
freighter. Can he survive an epic trip--and find his way back home?

Near a
bustling harbor, a plucky chipmunk's love of tomatoes earns him a
heart-pounding ride "up up up" onto a huge ship. After iron ore pellets thunder
into the cargo holds, the boat sets sail across Lake Superior--with Oskar still
aboard! Lost and desperate to return to land, Oskar explores the enormous boat
for a way out. The metal, the machines, the noise--it's all so different from
his small home in the oak tree. Tasty treats in the galley calm his nerves, but
when he ventures up to the pilothouse, where sailors steer the ship, he's shocked
to see his bridge and his oak tree fading into the distance. Soon, the lake stretches
endlessly in all directions.

As he
searches for a way home, Oskar discovers excitement--and danger--instead. He's
never before seen a dizzying drop to icy water; an avalanche of mail; a
roaring, rumbling engine room; or a steel boom swinging through the sky to
deliver a ship's cargo. Though he encounters amazing wonders on board, he can't
find the one thing he needs most--his oak tree back at the harbor. Will Oskar ever
make it home?

In
2019 author Laura Purdie Salas took a voyage on the Paul R. Tregurtha, the largest freighter on the Great Lakes. That
trip inspired her poetic narrative highlighting the features of a working ship through
a chipmunk's eyes. Artist
Kayla Harren's vibrant illustrations offer glimpses into life aboard a
laker--with dazzling scenes of both inland sea and shore. A diagram of a freighter
offers perspective, and a map displays Oskar's route. A
glossary and further reading list round out this tale of an unlikely adventure--and
may just inspire readers to imagine their own Great Lakes excursion.