If your family is a fan of VeggieTales, it’s probably exciting to hear that one of the show's original creators, Mike Nawrocki, has created a new show: Dead Sea Squirrels.
Merle and Pearl are two squirrels from Bible times who appear in the Dead Sea Squirrels book series by Mike Nawrocki. The squirrels were petrified in Dead Sea salt for almost 2,000 years, but were rehydrated and smuggled to the United States by a 12-year-old boy named Michael Gomez. Michael finds them while visiting his dad, an archaeologist working in Israel, and brings them home. Once back at his home in Tennessee, they get rained on and return to life. They bring back knowledge of the early church to the modern world and share Biblical lessons with Michael and his friends.
Nawrocki says his prayer is that the new series would help kids “make a connection to the Bible and life of Jesus.”
The show is based on a popular graphic novel series of the same name, a collaboration between Mike Nawrocki and illustrator Luke Seguin-Magee. Mike Nawrocki, of VeggieTales fame.
In an interview, Mike says the idea came to him while traveling for VeggieTales while working for Big Idea. While working on VeggieTales, they felt limited in the number of New Testament stories they could share because they never wanted to portray Jesus as a vegetable. So Mike was interested in an IP that could tell New Testament stories. He was staying in a hotel one day when the idea hit him. He started thinking about bringing characters from Jesus’s time to a modern setting, along with various bad puns, and that’s where the idea for the Dead Sea Squirrels began to form.
After he left Big Idea in 2016, he initially thought about creating Dead Sea Squirrels as an animated series, but his agent, Dan Lynch, whose background was in publishing, pitched the idea of an early reader series. After researching the concept, Mike pitched a six-book series to Tindale publishers in Chicago, but the series would go on to be twelve books in total before being turned into an animated series.
Mike created a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to start animating the series.
As reported by Faith It, the Kickstarter campaign raised over $35,000 in just a few days before attracting major investors.
They created the following video to promote the Kickstarter campaign:
According to Faith It, Mike Nawrocki said, “It’s been a longtime dream of mine to bring this series to life,” Nawrocki shared in a statement. “What started as a title based on a ‘cheesy’ pun has developed into a fun-filled world kids will love while giving parents an entertaining resource to pass on biblical values and life lessons. Plus, with ‘VeggieTales,’ ‘3-2-1 Penguins,’ and now ‘The Dead Sea Squirrels,’ I hope to cement my legacy as the ‘cheesy’ pun title guy!” (Faith It, March 3, 2021)
To bring the Dead Sea Squirrels TV series to life, Mike recruited fellow Lipscomb University professors Tom Bancroft (of Disney fame) to help with animation and Steve Taylor (a Grammy-nominated filmmaker) to produce it.
According to a press release on PR Newswire, the series includes a host of famous names, including guest appearances from Phil Vischer (VeggieTales' "Bob the Tomato"), Duncan Phillips (The Newsboys), and Beth Moore, plus original songs featuring Christian recording artists Matthew West, MercyMe's Bart Millard, Ellie Holcomb.
Speaking of songs, if you’re interested in finding the best worship songs for kids of all ages, check out YIppee’s in-depth guide to worship songs for kids.
The animation team includes New Zealand's Mukpuddy Animation Studio, which is teaming up with faculty mentors and animation students at Lipscomb University's Imagine House productions.
At the show's heart are Merle and Pearl Squirrel, two squirrels who lived in Jesus’s time and had a front-row seat to his teachings. They meet Michael Gomez, a 5th-grade boy from Tennessee whose dad is an archeologist working in Israel. The Squirrels help Michael and his friends confront bullies and learn more about Jesus.
The complete cast of colorful characters includes:
Michael: The main protagonist, a 12-year-old boy who brings Merle and Pearl into the United States from the Dead Sea. He’s an adventurous spirit and prone to bending rules.
Merle and Pearl: Two squirrels from Bible times who were petrified in sea salt for almost 2,000 years. They now live in Tennessee and teach Michael and his friends Biblical stories from their first-hand experiences.
Justin: Best friend to Michael and fellow 5th grader. He’s the type of kid who follows the rules and is always on time.
Sadie: Another friend of Justin and Michaels and fellow 5th grader.
Adrianna: A quirky alpaca that helps the squirrels with a disguise during their mission to rescue the Gomez family.
Gomez family: Michael’s family.
Edgar: A kid who bullies Michael and his friends.
Ruben: Squirrelnapper and a major antagonist of the series.
Dr. Simon: Antagonist who plans to create the BabbleLand Animal Park: “the only zoo where cuddly creatures talk to you,” and you can engage in “small talk with the livestock.”
Yes, the Dead Sea Squirrels is an explicitly Christian book series. Each book has a unique theme that focuses on Christian values.
GoodBookMom does a great review on their blog. They write, “Each book even has a Core Value that is focused on during that book including kindness, hard work, and obedience. Any questionable behaviors are addressed and never glorified or made to look cool. The author does an excellent job of using real situations with which children will easily relate, all while wrapping it in a fun and unrealistic adventure involving Jesus-loving squirrels. While it is not a graphic novel, it is filled with fun and large illustrations throughout, giving it almost a comic book feel.”
At the time of writing, there are 12 Dead Sea Squirrels Books. The proper reading order and release dates are:
Except for book 1, all books in the series have a Goodreads score above 4 out of 5. Complaints about the first book express disappointment with the brevity and art, but overall opinions are positive. They also say to avoid the character profiles at the back of the first book if you want to avoid spoilers for the series. The books are available for purchase at a wide variety of retailers.
Most people consider the Dead Sea Squirrels Books best for kids ages 6 - 10. The only use of strong language that some parents might take issue with is the use of insults like ‘gross’ and ‘nerds.’ There are some questionable behaviors, like when the bully, Edgar, hits another boy in the back of the head, but this is never glorified, and it’s made clear that this is wrong.
On January 14th, 2025, a press release on PR Newswire announced that The Dead Sea Squirrels will debut on February 14, 2025, exclusively on the Minno streaming platform.
If you’re interested in finding the best Christian shows for 10-year-olds, check out our in-depth breakdown here.
VeggieTales
This is the show that made Mike Nawrocki famous. He voices Larry the Cucumber and also co-created the show.
The Garden
This animated series was created by Butch Hartman. He’s famous for shows like The Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron. According to the show’s website, “The Garden was created to meet the need for safe, enriching, fun and faith-filled children's entertainment”
Hey-O Stories of the Bible
Saddleback Kids created this animated children's series to help children learn more about the Bible in an easy-to-understand format.
Superwings
While not explicitly Christian, this show does have many Christian themes. It’s generally well-liked as it has none of the violence or scary themes that some mainstream shows have. Common Sense Media writes, “Kids see the characters solve problems through teamwork and creativity. The show celebrates diversity and introduces kids to many different cultures and places in the world.”
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References
Faith It, "Mike Nawrocki’s Kickstarter Campaign for 'Dead Sea Squirrels' Surpasses $35,000 in a Few Days," March 3, 2021.
PR Newswire, "Dead Sea Squirrels Animated Series to Premiere Exclusively on Minno," January 14, 2025.
GoodBookMom, "Dead Sea Squirrels Series Review: Christian Themes and Relatable Lessons for Kids," [January 15, 2025].
Common Sense Media, "'Superwings' Review: Promoting Teamwork, Creativity, and Diversity," [January 15, 2025].
YouTube, "Dead Sea Squirrels Kickstarter Promotion Video," Video link.
YouTube, "Dead Sea Squirrels Series Overview," Video link.
The Garden Official Website, "About The Garden: Safe, Enriching, Fun, and Faith-Filled Children's Entertainment," [January 15, 2025].
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