Today’s reading takes us deep into the woods to meet Larf, the hero of Ashley Spires’s picture book of the same name. Larf is a sasquatch who lives a peaceful, private life. He keeps to himself, stays out of sight, and believes he is the only sasquatch anywhere. Then he opens the newspaper and learns that another sasquatch will be appearing in the city. Is it true? And if it is, does Larf really want to know?

I shaped this episode around an “Alone or Lonely?” arc, following Larf from contented solitude to the unsettling question of whether he has been missing something all along. It is a story about the difference between enjoying your own company and wishing someone understood you, and about the courage it takes to step out of hiding, even with a disguise on.

Before recording, I made a small index-card collage inspired by Larf: a round brown body, a yellow-green face with wide eyes glancing sideways, heavy brown eyebrows, a tiny surprised mouth, and a bright pink scarf, set inside a dotted red border in my handmade red-and-black frame. I wanted to capture that wonderful moment in the book when Larf stands frozen with the newspaper in his hand, scratching his head, his mug of coffee forgotten on the stump beside him.

Watch the full episode and find out whether one very shy sasquatch is truly as alone as he thinks.