One Smart Skunk

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 3 - Unknowingly a nuisance to her host family, Rebecca the skunk is under the impression that the space under their porch is the perfect nest for her impending family. However, the humans do not appreciate her skills, including pest control, and the family dog does not heed her warnings and gets sprayed - repeatedly. After Rebecca wisely avoids their attempts to trap her, the homeowners become desperate to rid themselves of the stinky pest. "I think we should blast her!" says the father. Fortunately, extreme action proves unnecessary as their final strategy is effective: "The smell of ammonia and mothballs was awful. The sound of rap music was intolerable. Rebecca got the message - this was no place to raise a family! As soon as dusk came, Rebecca fled." That night she moves on to the city where she meets up with an old friend and decides to make her new home there. Cohen's illustrations are luminous, and the layout effectively varies text location and illustration size to create an appealing and modern background for this charming, informative text.