"Emotions raked through him – startling and sharp,
mixed up, bristling, overwhelming. There was a rush
of caring, only more enfolding, more protective. He
found he couldn’t stand the thought of the rats
experiencing one more moment of hardship . . .
Badger longed for the rats’ joy and laughter,
and for each of them to have good, productive work
every day of their rat lives."
In this third episode from the fairly quirky lives of Skunk and Badger, their world is turned upside down with the arrival of two baby rats. How will they deal with Zephyr and Zeno with no prior knowledge of their needs and wants? There is much to learn about rats if they are to do a commendable job of housing and parenting them through the coming winter.
It's remarkably easy in the early days, as the tiny rats are malleable to the needs of Skunk and Badger's lifestyle. Badger needs time to work on his first piece for the Rock Hound Weekly, while Skunk needs time to manage all household business. As the rats grow and revert to their true natures, they fill days with constant chaos: ziplines, scavenger hunts that take effort and time to clear up, and even barrel racing. Badger is succumbing to the stress of not getting his work completed when Skunk asks for help from their chicken friends. Badger accidentally goes into hibernation and completely misses his deadline. What will happen next?
Fans of the first two books will enjoy the new adventures. It would be advisable for new readers to start with the previous titles. The friendship between the two main characters remains at the heart of the stories and makes for memorable storytelling, accompanied by Jon Klassens' witty illustrations.
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