Willow's Walkabout

Imagine that you are Willow the Wallaby, who has come from Australia to live in the Stone Zoo New England, and all day long you overhear young visitors talking about all the great sights to see in the Boston area. After making a list, wouldn’t you want to hop over your fence and set off on a walkabout (that’s what Australians call a walking tour)?

 Packing her notebook, pen and anything else she might need conveniently in her pouch, one foggy night, Willow hops over the fence and begins her mission to see as many of the interesting and fun places in the city as she can over the next several days. Setting up a little tent in the Boston Garden, she begins her adventure the next day on the famous Swan Boats, right away meeting a nice little boy who tells where to go next. Taking lots of notes, Willow goes from one fun-filled location to another even ending up hopping her way through the Boston Marathon, all the time collecting souvenirs to bring back to her many friends at the zoo.

Sheila Cunningham of Norton, MA Sheila S. Cunningham, based her story on the real life story of Aardu, a most inquisitive and ingenious wallaby who, many years ago, went missing from Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA. Aardu's escape and voluntary return to the zoo made headline news not only in Boston, Massachusetts, but all across the USA. A proud native of Scranton, PA, Sheila experienced love at first sight when she arrives in Boston to attend graduate school. A lawyer, and now author, she is a devoted fan of all things Boston

Kathie Kelleher

Kathie Kelleher is descended from a long line of talented and interesting characters, from bell-helmeted deep sea divers to Cape Breton bagpipers. As a young child, Kathie enjoyed hearing the family tales. Some tall, some small. All entertaining. She studied at the Paier College of Art in New Haven, CT under such luminaries as Dean Keller, Ken Davies and John Massimino. She has illustrated several books including Willow's Walkabout: A Children's Guide to Boston.