The Skunk and Badger Trilogy
“I’m your new roommate, Skunk!”
book one
No one wants a skunk. They are unwelcome on front stoops. They should not linger in rock rooms. Skunk should never, ever be allowed to move in. But Skunk is Badger’s new roommate, and there is nothing Badger, who prefers to be left alone with his Important Rock Work, can do about it.
Skunk plows into Badger’s life, and Badger’s life is upended. Rocket Potatoes are left in corners. Tails are flipped. The wrong is animal is sprayed. And why-o-why are there so many chickens?
“Are we officially in the woods?”
book Two
Buried in the heart of every animal is a secret treasure. For rock scientist Badger, it’s the Spider Eye Agate he found as a cub, stolen years ago by his crafty cousin, Fisher. For Badger’s roommate, Skunk, the treasure is Sundays with the New Yak Times Book review. When an old acquaintance, Mr. G. Hedgehog, announces his plan to come for the Book Review as soon as it thumps on the doorstep, Skunk decides an adventure will solve Badger’s problems as well as his own. Surprisingly, Badger agrees. Together they set off on agate-finding expedition at Badger’s favorite spot on Endless Lake.
But all is not as it seems at Campsite #5. Fisher appears unexpectedly. Then a chicken arrives who seems intent on staying. Something is up!
Indeed! Secrets, betrayals, lies…and a luminous, late-Jurassic prize.
“Easy-peasy!”
Book Three
Raising Rats? “Easy-peasy,” Badger says. Two tiny rats, Zeno and Zephyr, have moved into the brownstone. Meanwhile, Badger needs to write a Rock Hound Weekly article. It’s due soon-ish. (Must check calendar!) But nothing goes to plan: Naps are not the answer to everything. Articles refuse to write themselves. And why do the rats not know about sleep-at-night, up-during-day? It seems the most basic of knowledge.
It’ll take a North Twist village to raise these rats.
These are read alouDs!
You’ll be brilliant at reading these stories aloud! Enclosed between the boards? Cool sound effects and lots of language line-ups! AND you can read it to yourself too.
Below is a video Editorial Flamboyant made while reading aloud the entire book (!?!) with all sorts of folks.
there is an audiobook!
Here’s a chunk from the Audiofile review of Egg Marks the Spot: “Narrator Michael Boatman is a one-man band of banjo plucks, chicken bocks, and a panoply of other sound effects in this clever and silly sequel to SKUNK AND BADGER. ... Boatman goes all in, delivering Skunk and Badger's back-and-forth banter and all of Timberlake's swoops and swirls of language and wordplay with panache and full-throated enthusiasm."
Here’s what people said about Michael Boatman’s work on Skunk and Badger: James Tate Hill, Literary Hub, said: “Boatman turns in a fantastic performance, making the most of Timberlake’s wordplay.”
Betsy Bird, School Library Journal, Fuse #8 blog: “Oh my god. Michael Boatman, Michael Boatman, Michael Boatman. If you listen to no other audiobook on this list, listen to this one. … I do not know what magic Boatman sprinkled on these pages before his read, but this is an audiobook that I could hear on repeat. He does good chickens. He does a good singing badger. He does a good elderly aunt. And his laughs! Somehow he manages to give both Skunk and Badger these incredible and highly distinctive laughs that just reverberate in your eardrums… in a good way. Let the record state that if this doesn’t win some kind of an Odyssey Award from ALA this year, I’m going to be most seriously put out.
Wondering why his voice sounds familiar? Here’s a link to his IMDB page. Spin City maybe?
(Skunk and Badger is available on Yoto Play.)
Want interviews and articles?
Find a list HERE.
From the Journey
People You Should Know About:
(AND I need to mention that there are a lot of people working hard to bring these books to you — and I mean, A LOT. If you are one of these people: Thank you!)
Jon Klassen
Jon is the other half of this project! His art provides the visual storytelling in the Skunk & Badger books. He’s the writer and an illustrator behind the trilogy that begins with I Want My Hat Back and recently, the best-selling, The Rock from the Sky. He’s won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal. Find him on Twitter (@burstofbeaden), Tumblr and Instagram.
Elise Howard
Photo: Jordan Matter
Elise Howard at Algonquin Young Readers is the editor behind these stories. Yay! By the way, she’s the founding editor and publisher of Algonquin Young Readers. I’m amazed at what she’s doing at AYR. Before joining Algonquin, Elise was senior vice president and associate publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books. It is a joy working with her on Skunk and Badger stories!
Wine Pairing?
Why yes! The excellent wine merchants at 57th Street Wines recommend the below wine from Italy for pairing with Skunk and Badger and Egg Marks the Spot. “Fruit forward with a red clay silt base.” Also? There’s a badger on the label. 🐾🐾
