Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jim Arnosky enthusiasts will welcome Raccoon on His Own, about a baby raccoon separated from his family. The fellow climbs aboard a canoe and Arnosky's illustration conveys the raccoon's fright as he floats past a "great big alligator." Five warblers call "Zweet, zweet, zweet," bringing him comfort until his family meets him on another mud bank. ( May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Without anthropomorphizing his animal characters, Arnosky has created an information-packed story with enormous appeal for young children. Through the simple narrative, children follow an adventure of a baby raccoon that crawls into a boat that floats away from his mother and her two other offspring as they dig in the mud for food. Sentences are short, descriptive ("Mother found a crunchy crawfish"), and easy to read aloud. Suspense builds gently as baby raccoon avoids snakes, alligators, and the water. Through the illustrations, however, readers are reassured that he will be safe because mother can be seen following the boat. Arnosky's illustrations are bold and large, conveying accurate information about the swamp environment in which the story occurs. The book can serve as a springboard for further research about the animals and plant life of that ecosystem. It's hard to imagine a more ideal book to read to a group or to share with primary-grade children-it offers just the right amount of tension with a reassuring resolution.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A curious raccoon climbs into an abandoned canoe and accidentally floats away from his family. He encounters a variety of swamp animals, both scary and interesting, before being reunited with his family downstream. The raccoon's simultaneous fear and curiosity at being on his own for the first time are expressed better in the endearing illustrations than in the somewhat slack telling. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young raccoon goes for an unexpected solo trip through a swamp. More interested in climbing into an abandoned boat than in digging for crawfish with his mother and siblings, the youngster is nevertheless distressed when his familys efforts dislodge the mud holding the boat, sending him downstream. Arnosky (Wild and Swampy, 2000, etc.) uses a watercolor palette dominated by swampy greens to create a lush, self-contained world in which the surface of the water blends imperceptibly into the general background. The raccoons trip takes himand young readerspast a microcosm of swamp wildlife both malignant and benign, including snakes, an alligator, a family of mergansers, and a bevy of wading birds, as all the while the raccoons family paces his progress from the shore. The all-encompassing green and the characteristically quiet, present-tense text effectively recreate the muffled, otherworldly atmosphere of a swamp. At the end, a relieved raccoon is reunited with his family, none the worse for his adventure. The events that lead to raccoons voyage seem somewhat contrived and at times his expression is just a tiny bit too anthropomorphic, but these are only little quibbles with a story that will resonate with young children still exploring their own boundaries while at the same time introducing them painlessly to an environment likely as unfamiliar as the North Pole. (Picture book. 2-6)
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