Skunk and Badger. Amy Timberlake. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. 2020. [September] 124 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: The first time Badger saw Skunk, he thought, puny, and shut the front door.
Premise/plot: Badger is getting a roommate whether he wants one or not...and that roommate is SKUNK. To be fair, Badger is completely living off his Aunt Lula. Badger is obsessed with rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Skunk is obsessed with chickens, chickens, and more chickens. Both characters certainly have their quirks. Badger can be completely clueless and just RUDE and INSULTING. But Skunk isn't perfect either. Skunk may be considerate in some ways but oblivious in others. In other words, both have their blind spots.
My thoughts: I did not love this one. I know it has mainly four and five star reviews. I know it made a dozen "best" lists. But I didn't love it. Because at the end of the day it was still a LOT of text about rocks to get through. I would much prefer to hang out in Badger's BOX room--because you never know when you're going to need a good box--then his rock room. (But Skunk broke down ALL his boxes without even asking and gave away the few that remained to CHICKENS.)
There were times I was almost this is like Leonard and Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. And then I started hearing the text in SHELDON'S VOICE. And I must say that hearing the book in Sheldon's voice boosted my opinion of the book a bit. (It was the only voice I tried. I don't know if a Scottish accent would have equally improved the book or not). But to get right back on my SIDE TRACK, I think a better assessment would be that it's like two Sheldons forced to live together.
There's a time and place for quirky, eccentric, odd books. I just wasn't feeling this one. Perhaps because the jacket copy compared it to Winnie the Pooh--which is SO FAR FROM THE TRUTH AND A COMPLETE FLIM-FLAM.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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