5-Year-Old Publishes Illustrated Children’s Book With Father

Just in time for summer reading and a season of car trips to visit family and friends, the colorfully illustrated children’s book Magical Lake lands on Amazon.com bookshelves (https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Lake-Swifty-Chipmunk-Adventure/dp/0692886672/ ).

The latest Buddy and Swifty Chipmunk Champs series story takes readers on an adventure as two chipmunks learn about trusting others, making new friends and embracing the differences that make each of us unique.

Inspired by actual events, the Buddy and Swifty children’s book series started in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, nestled in the picturesque Pocono Mountains.

One of the main characters, a young chipmunk named Swifty, travels far from his home and encounters challenges. With help from several new friends, he discovers self-confidence and a world unlike anything he has experienced.

Written by Andy C. Szul – with his 5-year-old daughter, Victoria A. Szul – the Magical Lake children’s story is illustrated by Rigina Pietrowski.

The 8x10 softcover book fits comfortably in a backpack or purse, allowing children and parents to take Buddy and Swifty with them to enjoy wherever they go.

“We’re especially proud of this latest Buddy and Swifty children’s book because of how the characters evolved from the storyboard to the final draft,” said Szul. “By introducing several new characters in Magical Lake, we’ve built out the Buddy and Swifty storyline, making it more imaginative and memorable for readers to enjoy.”

The first Buddy and Swifty children’s book was black and white and published in early 2015. Magical Lake is not only a physically larger book, but it is also in color with art drawn across the entire area of the pages.

“The bright and vivid colors throughout the book, along with the absolutely fantastic new look for the series’ central characters is big deal for us,” said Szul. “While this story is written for children, we have a hunch that adults will also enjoy reading the book with their children and flipping through the colorful illustrations.”

The first book was written and illustrated by Szul and his daughter. For the Magical Lake children’s book, Szul teamed up with Pietrowski, a senior graphic designer who did the illustrations.

“After watching the two chipmunks run around in front of our bungalow, Victoria and I did the best we could to sketch the two critters in the first book,” said Szul about the first Buddy and Swifty book. “With Rigina’s incredible graphic design skills and talent, Magical Lake features pages and pages of delightfully entertaining illustrations.”

"Developing and creating the art and graphics for this book challenged me as a designer and I grew from the unique experience,” said Pietrowski. “I feel very fortunate to have been involved in this project."

“I liked helping make this children’s book for kids to enjoy with their moms and dads,” said Victoria A. Szul.

Szul and his daughter manage several Buddy and Swifty social media accounts, including the chipmunk duo’s Twitter page at https://twitter.com/buddyandswifty.

“We look forward to hearing from readers about what they think could be Buddy and Swifty’s next adventure,” said Szul.

All of the proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to charity.

The Magical Lake book is intended for children 3 to 8 years old and is available on Amazon.com for only $9.99.