The characters
Meet the Three Paws
Niko, Luna and Shelly are three very different friends who live in the village of Willowbrook. Here's a closer look at each of them, for grown-ups who'd like to know who's who before story time.
Niko
A Cocker Spaniel with golden fur, a cream chest, very, very floppy ears and a red collar with a gold tag. Niko tells every Three Paws story in his own words, and he's the one who leads the way. As he puts it, "Adventure is my middle name!"
- Loves: chasing butterflies, chasing his own tail, and rolling over to warm his tummy in the sun.
- Good at: sniffing out trails.
- In book 1: he loves Willowbrook, but he has nobody to share his adventures with, until a little voice calls from the old oak tree.
Luna
A small, round pink owl with a cream belly, brown wings, an orange beak and orange feet, and two little feathery tufts on top of her head. In book 1 she has just moved to Willowbrook and is looking for a friend. She's the curious one, and she loves telling jokes, even the not-so-good ones.
- Loves: night skies, the moon, games of peekaboo, and her perch in the old oak tree.
- Good at: short flights and keeping a look-out from above. She sees well in the dark.
- Not so good at: long flights, which tire her out, because she's still young. And she gets sleepy in the daytime.
"I have feet, not paws!"
When Niko names the friends the Three Paws, Luna points out that she has feet, not paws. Shelly giggles and says the name still sounds perfect. It becomes a running joke in the series, and Luna is always ready to put everyone right. She has a point, too: owls have feet with four toes and sharp claws called talons. More in our owl facts to share with kids.
Shelly
A red-brown squirrel with a cream belly, tufted ears and a big curled tail. Shelly is the planner of the group: she always has a plan, and she's the one who finds the maps. She also loves to tease Luna.
- Loves: acorns and other nuts, old books, and maps.
- Good at: climbing. Shelly can climb anything.
- In book 1: she meets Niko by accident, when her acorn bounces off his nose. "Oops! Sorry!"
Willowbrook and the old oak
The friends live in Willowbrook, a little village of winding paths, green meadows, hills and wildflowers of every color, with a babbling brook and a bakery on the village square.
In the middle of it all stands a big old oak tree. It's the Three Paws' meeting spot and Luna's home perch: in book 1, Niko first spots her peeking out of a hollow in its trunk.
A little secret from the back of book 1: the real Niko is the author's own Cocker Spaniel, and the real Luna is the author's daughter.
What's next for the Three Paws
The first book, Three Paws: How We Met, is coming soon in paperback. It tells how the three friends meet.
Next in the series is Max the "Wombat-Dog", where the friends meet Max, a big, gentle Saint Bernard. It's coming later, with more Willowbrook adventures to follow.
Reading with a group of children? The How We Met reading guide has questions and activities for home or class.
