Peter the Skeeter

A children's book for adults and children alike.Peter the Skeeter is a story about a young mosquito living in Goochland, Virginia. Peter lives at the Pond with his Mama, Papa and 147 brothers and sisters. While playing tag with his two brothers, Peter winds up in the car of the Harlup family (the humans who own the land that the pond sits on) and is on his way to New York City. Peter, who has never left the pond, is confused and scared yet eager to find out what life is like beyond the pond. He has a run in with a truck driver at a rest area, which unknowingly kidnaps Peter in his hat and takes Peter into his truck where he meets a family of fleas. Peter finds his way back to the Harlup's car, with the help of the "flea circus", hoping that if he stays with the Harlup family, they will eventually go home. While Peter is being unwillingly transported to New York, his Papa and two brothers devise a plan to find him and bring him home. Meanwhile, Mama Skeeter, who always watches the TV through the Harlup's kitchen window, hears that a big machine will be spraying mosquito killer throughout New York that very evening Peter will arrive. Upon Peter's arrival to New York, Peter forgets his plan to stay with the Harlups and starts flying towards the bright lights of Broadway. There he bumps into Barbara, a glamorous skeeter actress who becomes very annoyed that this young, country skeeter interrupted her scene. Bernadette, a large skeeter actress with bright red lipstick consoles Peter as Barbara becomes overly dramatic. Sir Frederick, another skeeter actor, introduces himself to Peter and explains to him that he has just met the "world famous Thespian Skeeters of Broadway". While Peter is getting to know the Thespian Skeeters, Papa, Buddy and Tom are exiting the bus into the bustling streets of New York. They quickly realize that their chances of finding Peter in this big city are very slim. They contrive an ingenious method of searching for him without losing each other. Peter again realizes that his only hope of returning home is with the Harlups so he begins a mission to find them. He heads to Central Park, at the direction of the Thespian Skeeters, to see if he could find the Harlups and food. Along the way he encounters a street wino, The West Nile Gang, (a group of rough female skeeters), The Skugs (a group of mobster skeeters from Little Italy), and even his family for a brief moment before being threatened by the deadly mosquito spray truck. Peter was saved at the last minute from the giant truck by a mysterious female skeeter, Sandra. Together they wind up on in the West Village having to hide from the "big machine". There, Peter meets some of Sandra's friends like Al who lives at the 4th Street basketball courts and Begga, a small homeless mosquito. Peter and Sandra campout inside a building at the New York University campus, to stay away from the dangerous poison the giant machine is spraying. Peter is anxious to continue his quest to find a way home but Sandra explains to him that they have to stay in doors until the sun comes up. Always one step behind him, Peter's family continues to track him courageously through the big city while befriending native mosquitoes who offer to help them find Peter. Some of the New York mosquitoes, however, have their own unsavory reasons for helping Papa, Buddy and Tom. Escaping their clutches becomes another of the adventures that all of them must survive to reunite as a family and return to their beloved Virginia pond. Even after the families escape from the giant machine's poison and the Skugs, Sandra and Peter find themselves at the start of another adventure.