Hi! I'm Nutty, the energetic squirrel.

 

Nutty is short for Nutella. Nutella Jr., actually. My mom is the original Nutella, and she is the fastest squirrel you've ever seen! My dad's name is Nation, and he is a very active squirrel, which sometimes gets him into trouble.

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I grew up in the beautiful hardwood forests of Centre County, Pennsylvania. My parents and I made our home in the coziest Hemlock tree we could find. Did you know the seeds of Hemlock trees are delicious? We used to eat them all winter long when we were snowed in.

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One day, we heard the strangest sound outside our tree home! It was a loud, low-pitched buzzing sound that kept getting louder and louder. Our tree home started to shake, and then it suddenly fell over! We were so lucky no one got hurt. We clung to each other as we felt our house moving, but we were too scared to look out the window to see what was happening. When the movement finally stopped, we peered outside. We were in a very strange place, and nothing looked familiar to us at all! All the trees were being cut into long, flat pieces by a big, mean machine. We packed up a few things and began to wander around. We were homeless.

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Finally, we found a forest that looked friendly enough. There were no Hemlock trees, but we found a tree that we could make into a lovely home. That night, while gathering acorns, I bumped into a friendly moose and raccoon. They said we were at a place called Youth Haven, where a lot of kids who couldn't live in their own homes anymore could come to have fun and be safe. I love Youth Haven because I don't have to be afraid here, and I get to help other kids understand that, too!