Skunked!

The new Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet series of early chapter books opens with a warm, witty story in which Travis, Callie's 11-year-old brother, secretly adopts a pair of baby skunks. Though 12-year-old Callie knows that it's a bad idea, she does what she can to help softhearted Travis keep the kits alive. They hide the skunks in the barn, nurse them to health, and wash the family dog after he gets sprayed. The climactic scene comes when Travis sneaks his wild pets into the schoolhouse and becomes an unlikely hero to everyone but his sister. Written with simplicity, grace, and humor, the story is accessible to the many young readers looking for large type and wide-spaced lines. While loyal Calpurnia Tate fans will be disappointed to find that the latest volume is shorter, simpler, and aimed at a younger audience, this amusing story will be a terrific find for chapter-book readers with historical fiction assignments, as well as kids who love animals. The book's many pencil illustrations were not seen in final form.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist

Gr 2-4-Award-winning author Kelly introduces the "Calpurnia Tate" series to a younger audience. The year is 1901, and Calpurnia lives in a big white house in Texas with her mother, father, grandfather, and six brothers. Living with so many brothers can bring excitement and, at times, trouble. High jinks ensue when Cal's younger brother Travis discovers an abandoned baby skunk. Sharing his sister's love of animals, Travis brings the skunk, Stinky, home to care for it. One skunk isn't too much of a problem, but the situation escalates when Travis finds the runt of the litter, Winky. The most difficult part of caring for baby skunks is keeping them a secret from Cal and Travis's watchful mother. She would be furious if she knew there were baby skunks living in her barn, and Cal and Travis desperately want to avoid her wrath. This engaging introductory chapter book contains the added benefit of introducing readers to science and nature terminology as well as a bit of Texas history. Readers need not have read Kelly's The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate to enjoy this charming selection. VERDICT Young readers will find Cal and Travis's exploits entertaining, humorous, and informative.-Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Readers were first introduced to aspiring naturalist/veterinarian Callie Tate in The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (rev. 9/09) and The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate (rev. 7/15), novels intended for upper elementary and middle-school readers. Now she appears in an engaging standalone series for younger readers. The first entry, Skunked!, offers a comfortable family story featuring Callie as more sister than scientist (although scientific information about the natural world and her observational skills are both unobtrusively included in the text). Here, Callies one-year-younger brother, Travis, finds an abandoned baby skunk and takes it home. In relating the story, Callies first-person narration adopts a tone of loving exasperation, like an oft-told tale of family lore with an extravagantly humorous ending. In the second book, Counting Sheep, Callie is more immersed in her science, and beginning to put her newfound skills into practice as she helps town veterinarian Dr. Pritzker with a lambs difficult breech birth. Details in the generous black-and-white illustrations, such as the vets horse and buggy, reinforce the historical setting as well as highlight important points in the action. Delicate leafy branches decorate the top of each page, subtly underscoring Callies scientific interests. betty carter (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.