The title character in “The Fantastic Adventures of Captain Acorn” children’s chapter book is fearless, adventurous and determined. She’s also a squirrel.

Captain Acorn was invented by author Avalon Robinson and her three sisters when they were children.

“We grew up in southern California and we’d have long car rides to go anywhere or do anything” she said.

The sisters were armed only with a tub of stuffed animals to amuse themselves. They began inventing characters and creating stories about their adventures. One of the key characters, Captain Acorn, was based on a small stuffed squirrel that belonged to her youngest sister, Athena.

“We just started creating this whole world with this squirrel having all these adventures on the high seas,” Robinson said. “She’s quite a swashbuckling squirrel.”

Robinson, 24, has loved books since her father read “The Hobbit” to her as a bedtime story when she was 6.

“We were always a big family of readers,” she said. “As soon as I could hold a pen I was starting to write.”

She was truly hooked on writing after she presented a short story at a student showcase when she was 9. She and her family moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2007, and she earned a history degree from the University of Idaho. She now works as a nanny, but never forgot her dream of writing a book.

“I love working with kids,” she said. “I consider myself a kid at heart.”

It was during a long car ride that she decided now was the time.

“I just really felt like this was the time to write about Captain Acorn,” she said.

The story will appeal to anyone who likes swashbuckling adventures or precocious squirrels with a love of the limelight. There are epic storms, buried treasure and a battle with a giant sea serpent. The tone is fun and lighthearted, with a lot of references to the four sisters who created Captain Acorn in their imaginations.

She said her first chapter of the book is her favorite, partly because it introduces the characters, including a frog named Theodore Froglen and a crocodile called Jacob Crockey. Later the readers meet Timothy Chip, a chipmunk who plays a key role in the battle with the sea serpent.

Robinson unveiled her self-published book at a recent launch party at the Art Spirt Gallery in Coeur d’Alene, where she read portions of her work and answered questions. One person asked if Captain Acorn was based on Robinson, who laughed at the suggestion. She said she relates more to Pounce, the cat who serves as Captain Acorn’s first mate and best friend.

“I think there’s a lot of Captain Acorn I would like to be,” she said.

She talked about the writing and editing process and how fun it was to write the story.

“Then you have somebody telling you (that) you used the word ‘very’ too much,” she said. “Editing was a pill.”

She said she would set herself a page or word count goal every day and set aside time to write, but, true to form, her inspirations often struck while she was driving. She would create voice memos on her phone or call a friend and dictate her ideas over the phone.

Once she set the right tone, the book came together quickly, Robinson said.

“I’ve wanted to write this book for years and had several attempts,” she said.

The book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as her web site www.avalonrobinson.com.

Robinson said she is already working on a second Captain Acorn book.

“I have big plans for a lot more Captain Acorn to come,” she said.