Title: My Raccoon Family: Adventures in My Backyard
Author: Margaret Churchill
Publisher: PageTurner, Press and Media
ISBN: 978-1-948304-79-5
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Animal Education
Pages: 48
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Hollywood Book Reviews
Raccoons have an appearance which matches their personality; born with a mask on their faces makes them look like bandits. My Raccoon Family: Adventures in My Backyard by author Margaret Churchill, tells of a friendly female raccoon visiting her house, looking for a place to give birth to her litter of kits.
One day this raccoon shows up in a compost bin, and then the animal scats into the home, hiding in the ceiling between the roof and the inside ceiling tiles. What was this female raccoon doing? She was looking for a place to give birth to her babies – and babies she had, all 6 of them! As the kits began to grow up, the Mom, as she was called, was a very polite guest in the house, and was given daily bowls of cat kibble and water to eat so she can feed her babies.
The story is told through the eyes of the author, with a kind and lulling narration readers learn some interesting aspects about the behavior of these wild animals. The author frequently tells readers that if they encounter raccoons to give them space, stay back, and don’t try to pet them. If you do give them food and talk gently to them, they may stick around for a period of time before moving on to another home. If and when they do dwell nearby you, they will entertain you with the frolicking of their playful nature, showing the bond they create with the sibling kits, and the protective watch-over of the mother raccoon.
My Raccoon Family: Adventures in My Backyard is written as a true story, and the illustrations are artfully crafted to create a story-board sequence of images, indelibly imprinted into the minds of the young readers. Readers will be entertained as they learn details about raccoons, which also apply to many other wild animals. As the book ends, “The most important lesson of all: be kind to all wild animals. They are your friends and you will learn so much more from them just by watching and talking to them. They will invite you into their world and that‛s a very magical place to be.” Then closes with a prayer to have this raccoon family protected and given respect and compassion by all the people they encounter.