Since he was a child, Steve Rogers has had a close a connection with animals, bringing home stray snakes, cats, dogs and even a skunk.

One animal – a rescued squirrel named Bogey – proved especially memorable.

“I would come home from work in my suit and it would run out of its cage then jump onto my shoulder,” said the Onset resident. “That was the kind of relationship I had with that squirrel. It was nutty.”

So, he wrote a story.

That story, called “Bogey the Wonder Squirrel,” is a children’s book published by Strategic Publishing. The book is illustrated by second grade students from St. Philomena’s School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Rogers, who is retired from the insurance industry, has written two other books. Another children’s story about coping with the loss of a family pet “Dogs Can Fly.” The second is “Lost in Love Grass,” a story told from the perspective of an Alzheimer’s patient.

For “Bogey,” Rogers drew inspiration from a real family pet. While playing golf one day, he came upon a baby squirrel that had been abandoned. Rogers took the animal home to his wife, two boys and pets where he nursed it back to health.

“The cat and the dog loved it,” said Rogers. “It was a curiosity at first and then they all became playmates.”

Bogey accompanied Rogers to little league games, befriended his sons and became a part of the family.

Eventually, Bogey became ill and Rogers brought it to “Wild Again,” an animal rescue in East Bridgewater. He was treated, but couldn’t be returned to Rogers.

“They could fix him, but we couldn’t get him back,” Rogers recalled. “They said he doesn’t know how to be a squirrel.”

That proved to be the lesson of the story, in real life and the book, he noted.

“He created a lot of smiles, gave us a lot of joy,” said Rogers. “But in the long run we were giving it short shrift by not allowing it to become what it should become.”

Rogers will sign copies of “Bogey the Wonder Squirrel” on May 12 at 10 a.m. in the Wareham Free Library. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the library.

To purchase the book, visit: www.barnesandnoble.com. Search for "Bogey the Wonder Squirrel."