Have you ever wondered what exactly chipmunks do? I'm sure most of us pass by the chipmunks in our gardens and on our hiking paths without a second thought, but then again, some of us write books about it.

Kathy Miller, a native of Canada but a local resident of New Ringgold, Schuylkill County since 1996, has done just that; in fact, she did more than just write the book, she illustrated it with her own photography, too.In her book entitled Chippy Chipmunk: Parties in the Garden, Kathy chronicles the personality of a chipmunk that she discovered in her garden.She presented a program on her book, followed by a book signing, at the Tamaqua Public Library on May 1.A brief synopsis of the book can be found on her web site and it claims that, "this story is based on delightful and humorous photographs of a chipmunk's charming antics as he explores the author's garden. Based in a natural setting, this story enlightens as well as entertains. The photographs give the reader a close-up view of the Eastern Chipmunk. The harnessed energy in a still frame provides interesting expressions not available to the naked eye."But chronicling the life of a chipmunk was not all that Kathy Miller has set out to do. In addition to writing nature books and using her photography to raise money for local nature attraction Hawk Mountain, Kathy uses her love of nature and her talent in photography to reach out to the younger generation.Traveling all over the East coast - North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania - and speaking to young children has become a new pastime for Kathy. By speaking at local libraries and schools, she hopes to inform children about nature, and being observant, through her program.She notes that she "tries to inspire youth to go outside and take pictures to inspire their own story." She further noted that photography "is an excellent way to connect people to their environments, to their own backyards" and she tries to show children how to do just that through her program, in addition to talking about her friend the chipmunk.In her program, she plays nature noises, asks students what they want to be when they're old, shows them different photography techniques, and teaches them to respect animals.Anyone interested in Kathy's book can purchase a copy through her web site,

www.celticsunrise.com, or it can be found at local bookstores and nature stores.