The year was 2000 when our youngest daughter, Hunter, who was four years old at the time, donned an apron to help her mother prepare dinner. Hunter served a dinner plate to her father and proudly exclaimed, “Miss Floo Flocky Doo is here to serve YOU!” Our family immediately knew Miss Floo Flocky Doo could be the lead character in a children’s picture book, inspired by Hunter’s imagination. 

Our oldest daughter, Sarah, was a gymnast throughout her youth and even competed in college. Our family always affectionately referred to her as “Peanut,” which is why we chose to name the agile hummingbird character after her nickname. 

The story of a squirrel getting loose in the grocery store is also true. It is based on a time when the author smuggled a pet squirrel into a grocery store in his youth, only for it to escape and be recaptured several days later. 

Finally, the elderly character in the book, Miss Nellie Faye, shares the real name of the author’s mother, who always wore wigs. Although the story of Lucky Lou jumping into Miss Nellie Faye’s wig is fictional, it serves as a way to honor the memory of the author’s mother.