"Stranger in the Woods" captures curious animals in a winter wonderland

• At the center of the story is a snowman
• Helping causes they believe in
• Story may end on sad note

(CNN) -- It isn't often you hear of a self-published book catching the attention of the public and the book world alike. But two wildlife photographers from northwestern Michigan have been enjoying that rare experience with their new book "Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy."

Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick initially planned to publish a book on deer, but when they looked over their 60,000 plus photographs they decided what they had was the makings of a wonderful children's story.

The book, which is dedicated to "those who protect wild places and to the snowman that lives in every child's heart," is aimed at children, but has won the hearts of adults as well.

"Stranger in the Woods" has been the top-selling hard cover fiction book in northwest Michigan for four weeks, beating out the likes of Harry Potter, according to the Traverse City (Michigan) Record-Eagle. Sams couldn't be happier. "I've never seen anything like it," he says.

The couple is extremely enthusiastic about their work. They offered a special promotion selling signed books for the holidays and have now signed over 20,000 books, Sams said.

	VIDEO
A sneak peak at "Stranger in the Woods" [315k RealVideo] (Courtesy Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick )

So, what is it that has caught the attention of young and old? There are several things. To start, the photographs are a nature lover's dream, beautiful and engaging. And the story is a touching reflection of the innocence of animals and children alike.

A long-time wildlife photographer, Sams has spent more than 15 years photographing the deer in the story. Stoick, a retired art teacher-turned-photographer, is the author of "Stranger in the Woods."

"She taught me composition, I taught her photography," jokes Sams.

At the center of the story is a snowman. The animals in the woods all gather to greet this stranger in their home. The deer eat the corn and seeds off his hat and gloves and even gobble up his nose. But we won't ruin the surprise by telling who the real stranger in the woods is.

Though they have previously done wildlife photography books with publishing houses, Sams and Stoick decided this project was special, and did it on their own.

The husband and wife team ordered 20,000 books for the first printing and another 40,000 more just days after receiving the first shipment. They found a small distributor to work with, but now have a national distributor lobbying for the rights to the book.

They have used the book to help causes they believe in. They have donated a percentage of the profits of all the books sold in northwest Michigan to regional nature conservation groups. They also let 200 groups sell the book to raise money for a Cincinnati Children's hospital.

In Rochester, Michigan, just north of Detroit, the Kiwanis and downtown businesses used the book to raise money for Rainbow Connection, an organization that fulfills wishes for chronically and terminally ill children.

After the Rainbow Connection fund-raiser began, regional Barnes and Noble and Borders stores approached Sams, wanting to carry the book. Before he would let them sell it they had to agree to kick in 15 percent of their profits from the book to the Rainbow Connection. He said it was equal to the donation he was making, and he thought that was fair.

Sams and Stoick have high hopes for the book's future. "In my heart of hearts I really believe it will be the best-selling book in the country next year," Sams says. For his next project he will be focusing on a video of "Stranger in the Woods."

Since he had the foresight to videotape as well as take still photos, he has everything he needs to reproduce the book on video. He's already had some broadcast companies express interest in showing the finished product.

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But all is not happy in this story. The deer herd Sams and Stoick have grown so attached to have been selected by Michigan's Department of Natural Resources to be reduced. There are plans in January for the park rangers to start shooting some of the deer.

Sams has been fighting to at least protect what he considers his little family. These are the 17 or 18 deer that he and others have been photographing for years.

"Not one of those deer have hurt anyone out there. They don't deserve a bullet hole in the head," Sams says. He is concerned that -- because these particular deer are so accustomed to people -- they will walk right up to the rangers who are there to cull the herd.

Officials at Kensington Metropark have told Sams they will try to avoid this, but there are no guarantees. The state says the herd has grown too large and must be reduced. Animal rights groups disagree and have questioned the accuracy of the herd count the state officials are using. They even took the state to court, but the case was thrown out.

For his part, Sams hopes to take a helicopter up before the scheduled January hunt in order to get a more accurate count on the herd.