A Perfect Home for a Family

February 1, 2013
A raccoon couple searches for a new home in this amusing, succinct story with a plot that's short enough for younger preschoolers and comical enough for older kids. Mama Raccoon is anxious to find a new home before her twin babies arrive. Their old home in a hollow tree has become too noisy (baby blue jays) and crowded (a huge opossum family). So with the help of a realtor, the raccoons investigate other possible homes, eventually moving to the attic of a house inhabited by a family with a crying baby and a barking dog. Mama is horrified by the noises below them, and the raccoons return to their original home in the hollow tree (conveniently vacated) just in time for the birth of their twins. The expertly paced text uses short, pithy phrases to tell the tale, with brief dialogue conveyed in humorous, deadpan style. The front cover shows the grinning raccoon family inviting readers into the story, and the large trim size and cheerful, bright illustrations in double-page-spread format make this a fine choice for reading aloud to a group. A fresh take on the familiar theme: "There's no place like home." (Picture book. 3-7)

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May 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-Mama and Papa Raccoon have a problem. Their cozy tree house is too noisy and crowded due to a nest of baby blue jays and a large family of opossums for neighbors. Adding urgency to their dilemma is the impending arrival of their own twin babies. Off they set to find a new home for their growing family. Real-estate agent A.J. Squirrel shows them several possibilities, but none is quite right, until he takes them to an attic that is roomy and quiet. The raccoons move in and are delighted with their new digs until they are awakened by sounds from a "critter" down below. (the infant who lives in the house). Matters get worse when they hear barking and then, worst of all, people. Totally revolted by the idea of humans in "their" house, the raccoons vacate the premises and resume searching for a suitable home. They return to their original tree to discover that their noisy neighbors have moved. The full-color acrylic artwork is whimsical and appealing. The cutaway scenes with raccoons in the attic and humans below are particularly engaging with similar expressions of alarm on both sets of faces. The small number of words per page will encourage new readers, and the large illustrations make this picture book good for group sharing. A satisfying read.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2013
Preschool-G House Hunters meets a modern raccoon family seeking new digs in this witty and comforting tale. It starts, as a lot of real estate searches do, with noisy neighbors. Mama and Papa Raccoon are bothered by the squawking of newly hatched blue jays in their tree. And the big, active opossum family upstairs is making the tree even more crowded. In a nice nod to the country mousecity mouse tale, the raccoons, who are expecting twins, go to the city to consult a real estate agent. This agent, a fast-talking, tie-wearing squirrel, takes them on a tour of a city tree (too small); a garage (smelly with car fumes); and a spacious, clean attic. The place seems perfect, until Mama and Papa hear the ungodly yowling and yapping of creatures below and realize that their home is infested witheek!a human baby and a dog. Bright, eye-catching acrylic illustrations offer up plenty of humorous detail and intriguing perspectives. Here is a moving-from-home story many kids will identify with.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
A final clichid declaration of "No place like home" sums up this story which features an expectant raccoon couple seeking to upgrade its dwelling. The temporary solution--the attic of a human home--becomes undesirable because of the noisy humans down below. This quirky perspective and the slightly slapdash illustrations afford humor that offsets the predictable denouement.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)