Snarvelbarbleton Buy the book
A chipmunk peers over the loose boards of a back deck. Below, a warmly lit underground town of round groundhogs in waistcoats.

There is a city under your deck

The Snarvels of
Snarvelbarbleton

A Whimsical Adventure Beneath the Deck

by Lars Axberg

Buy the book Peek inside

It isn't just dirt and roots down there.

It's Snarvelbarbleton — a hidden metropolis stitched into the soil. A subterranean world of velvet, vanity, and very round groundhogs who wear cravats to breakfast and argue about marmalade at town meetings.

  • Ages 4–8and grandparents
  • Picture bookread-aloud in 10 minutes
  • Hardcoverpaperback & eBook too

Peek inside

The first few pages. The rest is in the book — that's rather the point.

The chipmunk on the deck above the glowing underground town.

Right beneath your back deck — yes, the one with the loose board and suspicious chipmunk traffic — lurks a secret. It isn't just dirt and roots down there.

A groundhog in a red coat and top hat rides a gilded wheelbarrow pushed by a small attendant, past round doors and lantern light.

Snarvels are not your average dirt-digging rodents. No, no. These are aristocratic fluffballs with names like Sir Puddingsworth and Lady Blubberblossom.

Why walk when you can be wheeled?
Lord Butterfluff in striped pyjamas inspects his fur in a mirror with a monocle while Reginald the squirrel valet waits.

“It's… it's majestic, sir.”

“Majestically tragic!” Butterfluff wailed. “Book me a trim at The Whiskered Comb. And fetch my grooming monocle.”

I'm not walking. I might jiggle.

…and then, one terrible Tuesday, the pie shipment failed to arrive.

See how it ends

Meet the residents

A round groundhog in a red tailcoat and top hat, holding a lantern, seated in a gilded wheelbarrow.

Lord Butterfluff Snarvel III

“Why walk when you can be wheeled?”

Wakes in a four-poster mushroom bed. Rings a golden acorn for breakfast. Holds strong views on the drape of his own fur.

A squirrel in a red livery coat and small top hat, mid-stride.

Reginald Nutwhistle

“We must bake the pies ourselves.”

Squirrel valet. Arrives in under six seconds carrying a silver tray and a tiny towel. Quietly the most sensible creature in town.

An elegant groundhog lady in a rose gown swooning backwards into embroidered cushions.

Lady Blubberblossom

“…” (fainted)

Fainted into a pile of embroidered cushions shaped like turnips. Has since recovered. Mostly.

A moustachioed groundhog with a monocle holding a small protest sign reading Acorns Are Not Wages.

Foreman Acornicus

“No pie, no steam!”

Leads the squirrel boiler crew. Carries a very small protest sign that reads “Acorns Are Not Wages.”

Did you spot?

Five of the six are hiding in the pictures below. Tap one when you find it — the spoon only ever turns up in the book.

  1. Top hat
  2. Wheelbarrow
  3. Monocle
  4. Pie
  5. Spoon only in the book
  6. Squirrel

Found 0 of 5.

Front cover of The Snarvels of Snarvelbarbleton by Lars Axberg.

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Beneath the old wooden deck, in a world of pies, monocles and mysterious squeaks, lives a society unlike any other. Perfect for young readers and the young-at-heart.

ISBN 979-8-279633-55-5 · Published 21 January 2026

Coming soon

There is more going on down there.

A second Snarvels book is on its way. If you'd like to know the moment it lands — and nothing else, ever — leave an address below.

One email, about one book. No lists, no sharing, unsubscribe by replying.

Lars Axberg drawn as a bearded explorer with a notebook, surrounded by cheering Snarvels carrying a banner.

About Lars

Lars Axberg lives in a tiny mountain town called Index, Washington, where the trees are tall, the rivers are loud, and the Wi-Fi is… well, let's just say it tries its best.

He's a Marine Corps veteran, a proud dad of two amazing daughters and one small dog, and a guy who's held together by metal parts, cheeseburgers and a lot of love. Lars has wrestled giant stones, built underground pipelines, and even co-owned an escape room — though he still occasionally gets locked out of his own house.

He writes stories to make kids giggle, wonder, and dream big.

“If life gives you lemons, build a lemon-powered robot and teach it to dance.”
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