Children's Book Signing at Stoneham Theatre Wednesday

You may recall some years back the incident at the about a young Wallaby named Aardu flying the coup. Aardu escaped the zoo and spent two weeks floating around the Boston area before being safely brought back to her home at 149 Pond St.

Two area artists, author Sheila Cunningham and illustrator Kathie Kelleher, joined forces to create a children's book based on Aardu's wild adventure. "Willow's Walkabout: A Children's Guide to Boston" is a fictional re-telling of Aardu's (the book's main character's name is Willow) journey, as she gets loose from the zoo and spends half a month "touring" the more well-known Boston landmarks and participating in different activities, including riding swan boats, running the Marathon and swinging through the Science Museum.

"The book starts at Stone Zoo, keeping its interest local, then it takes a tour of Boston, hitting on all the major spots in the city," explained Debbie Sullivan, co-owner of  and event coordinator. "It's sort of an A-to-Z of Boston with a little comic adventure mixed in."

The book signing already has several school groups popping by to learn about the Stone Zoo and Boston landmarks, along with animal coloring and an information session revolving around animals aimed geared toward 3 to 6 year olds. As an added bonus, some local bakers have gotten together to create some special Wallaby cookies they will sell in support of the event.

Sullivan jokingly mentioned that they are looking for one very brave volunteer to play the role of Willow which means dressing up in a Wallaby costume and guiding the kids on their informational journey concerning Boston. Those interested can call owners of The Book Oasis, Debbie or Dan Sullivan, at 781-438-0077.

A book signing is slated for Wednesday, June 6 at 10 a.m. at the . All are welcome to attend the free book signing and informational session.

For more information, visit The Book Oasis website.