An unlikely creative partnership between a retired Waterloo engineer and a spunky chipmunk has resulted in a one-of-a-kind children’s book.
Tom Jeary and his little pal Chester met in the former’s backyard.
Over time, the two struck up a bond, and Jeary, an amateur photographer, decided to capture the little guy on film.
Predictably, it wasn’t easy at first.
“I just got the bright idea that if I couldn’t bring Chester in front of the camera, then I would put the camera where Chester’s world was and set it out in the backyard and took a picture,” says Jeary.
His new tactic worked, and soon it was time to add hand-made props.
Convincing Chester to interact with the scenes Jeary was surprisingly uncomplicated: it turns out the quickest way to a chipmunk’s heart is through its stomach.
“Tiny, tiny smudges of peanut butter and little chips stuck to the peanut butter,” he explains. “And I also had a nut hanging on a thread on the end of a pole.”
To create the complex scenes (pictured left), Jeary used photoshop and layering.
Now, the photos are featured in his book “The Chipmunk Fall Fair.”
“It is purposely silly because it’s meant to appeal to little kids and old guys like me that are in their second childhood,” he says.
Proceeds from the book will be donated to children’s charities such as KidsAbility.
