One of the characters in Susan Huppert’s new book seems awfully familiar.

Huppert’s latest book for children, “Mrs. McGiggle Makes a Way,” may remind readers of a prominent Pierce County citizen, who is also Huppert’s sister-in-law.

“The background basically is that the character is a reflection of Vicki Nelson of Ellsworth, who was the Pierce County Register of Deeds,” Huppert explained.

“She for many years has been a lover of horses and animals and she cared for one of her horses until it was 38 years old. That’s kind of record-breaking in a way,” said Huppert. “The true events of her story are captured in the book, and I use them as an emphasis to inspire kids and help them through the process of grief and loss, in a delightful way.”

This is Huppeert’s third children’s book. She’s a former journalist who still does some feature writing. Writing for children is her passion.

“I’ve always had an interest in writing for children,” she said. Her first book was titled, “The Perfect Gift” and she followed that up with “Climb Aboard.” All three of her books are available at Freeman Drug in River Falls, and “Mrs. McGiggle Makes a Way” is available on Amazon as well.

Huppert is an Ellsworth native who now lives in Pepin. She was driven to write about Mrs. McGiggle to help children.

“That topic I chose because I saw it in reality in Vicki Nelson’s life. More so, I saw children going through grief and not having a lot of resources. Whether they’re losing their grandma in a pandemic or their pets, I thought it would be a nice tool to have on the shelf for them,” said Huppert. “People who read the story of Mrs. McGiggle, they’ll see the characteristcs of Vicki, very caring, loving. She makes people giggle.”

And what did Nelson think? She gave Mrs. McGiggle a thumps up!

“She sent me a note that it was one of the nicest things anyone has done for her. It’s a tribute to her and the life she had with her horse for those 38 years,” said Huppert.