Illustrated by Jon KlassenĮnjoying a quiet, solitary life in the brownstone owned by Aunt Lula, a pine marten whospeaksveryfast, Badger is dismayed by Skunk’s arrival, battered suitcase in paw, with an invitation from Aunt Lula to stay there, too. (This fulfills the 2021 CBR 13 Bingo square of “New Series” as it was published in 2019.Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake. The kids that I read to really enjoyed it and are excited for the sequel, and I am too! There were themes of friendship, differences, change, bullying, misunderstanding, and apologizing. There was nothing inappropriate, and there were some sections that had ‘big thoughts’ (Henry V and Chicken Little) as well as situations that children may encounter. I may even bring it into classrooms if I am asked to go to older grades for library visits. Skunk is loud where Badger is quiet, he is friendly where Badger is reserved, and he is definitely not afraid of making messes where Badger prefers order. But as he points out, “Not everyone wants a skunk.” Skunk turns Badger’s world upside down, which to be honest, wasn’t that hard to do.

Skunk is well-meaning, a good cook, and a great friend to chickens. But his quiet life is interrupted by a knock at the door, and Skunk rushes into his life. He lives in his Aunt Lula’s brownstone in North Twist, and is quite content with his life. Badger is a rock scientist who does Important Rock Work. Skunk and Badger has kind of a Frog and Toad, Wallace and Gromit, and Winnie-the-Pooh vibe. And in flipping through quickly, there was an ukulele, so another point in its favor! It also won numerous awards in 2020, but that kind of got overshadowed by world events… Then the theme also looked appealing and family friendly! It was perfect for our animal theme of “Tails and Tales” for summer reading. I picked it first for the length, because I could read the whole thing in a few sessions. I basically had one family, with some of their friends popping in for a bit of the second session. I advertised it as a nice way to chill out, maybe with the family, and basically listen to a live audiobook via Zoom. This was the book I chose as a “read aloud book club” for summer reading.