The Scampers family lived high in the branches of an old chestnut tree in Pennsylvania.

To their friends and family it seemed as though they were the perfect family.

Papa and Mama Scampers provided the best of everything for their six children.

Yet, no matter how “Perfect” their family appeared, there was one member of the Scampers family who felt that the Scampers were far from perfect.

Nutcracker Scampers was a boy squirrel.  Not that being a boy was a bad thing but having five sisters was, in his mind, a nightmare!

Tara Pecan was the oldest of the Scampers children.  She was a teenager which Nutcracker thought must be a disease of some sort.  She was always worried that she was too fat, or she was too thin, or her eyelashes weren’t long enough or her nose wrinkled too much when it twitched.  Tara acted like a queen. 

Tara was a thorn in Nutcracker’s side but his 9 year old triplet sisters were absolutely impossible!  First of all they were identical except for the color of their feet.  Beverly Pistachio had pink toes and little black feet; Barbara Almond had black toes with white feet; and Bonnie Cashew had completely white toes and feet.  The three-Bs did everything together.  The triplets also did all girl things.  Dolls, dress-up, house, and make-believe cooking shows filled their days.  Nutcracker did his best to stay out of their way for fear that they would dress him up like a baby or try to do make-up makeover, which was totally embarrassing for an adventurous squirrel such as Nutcracker. 

Nutcracker’s real name was Benjamin Walnut Scampers.  When Ben was still a tiny baby squirrel he was able to crack even the most difficult nuts with ease.  His sisters would stress and strain trying to open the hard shells while Ben sat quietly cracking one shell after another.  Papa Scampers was very proud and gave him his nickname, Nutcracker.

The only time anyone called him by his real name was when he was in trouble, which for Nutcracker, was often.  At 7 years old, Nutcracker loved exploring and spent his days seeking new places and amazing adventures.

The last of the Scampers children was Penelope Peanut.  “Peanut” was by far Nutcracker’s favorite sister.  Peanut was still too little to care about the girly stuff.  At bedtime, Peanut loved for her big brother to tell her of his adventures as she curled up close to him.  He would sometimes surprise her with a special feather or rock from an area he had explored.