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Muddy: The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes
A Spring 2019 Junior Library Guild Selection!
"A community of raccoons is happy catching their own food, but one dreams of something more gourmet." - Kirkus Reviews
Muddy the raccoon loves leftovers--and he likes to eat them on plates. “Our son’s a picky eater,� his parents say.
When Muddy gets caught, the oldest, wisest raccoon insists he make amends. But when all 27 raccoons enter the restaurant to return Muddy’s stolen plates, what happens next is not what anyone expects.
Mischievous Muddy will steal your heart!
Praise for The Camel in the Sun (Griffin Ondaatje’s and Linda Wolfsgruber)
"A tender story, eloquently rendered."� Publishers Weekly , STARRED REVIEW
"A lesson in empathy—for animals but also in general—delivered at a pace as stately as a camel’s." � Kirkus Reviews
"This will appeal to many ages, both as a peek into another culture and as an engaging story about a creature that finally gets the empathy it deserves."� Booklist
"A community of raccoons is happy catching their own food, but one dreams of something more gourmet." - Kirkus Reviews
Muddy the raccoon loves leftovers--and he likes to eat them on plates. “Our son’s a picky eater,� his parents say.
When Muddy gets caught, the oldest, wisest raccoon insists he make amends. But when all 27 raccoons enter the restaurant to return Muddy’s stolen plates, what happens next is not what anyone expects.
Mischievous Muddy will steal your heart!
Praise for The Camel in the Sun (Griffin Ondaatje’s and Linda Wolfsgruber)
"A tender story, eloquently rendered."� Publishers Weekly , STARRED REVIEW
"A lesson in empathy—for animals but also in general—delivered at a pace as stately as a camel’s." � Kirkus Reviews
"This will appeal to many ages, both as a peek into another culture and as an engaging story about a creature that finally gets the empathy it deserves."� Booklist
32 pages, Hardcover
Published April 2, 2019
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
February 4, 2019
Muddy Whiskers, a young raccoon, lives with his parents and a sizeable group of other raccoons on the far side of the Mud River. Banished from the city for the trouble they’ve caused tipping over garbage cans, they now do the hard work of finding food for themselves: digging clams from the river’s muddy shores, washing the mollusks 17 times before eating them, and rinsing the shells another 17 times when they’re done. Frogs, slugs, acorns, turtle eggs, and crayfish complete their varied diet. Muddy, though, is finicky. He wants human food, and he wants to eat it as humans do: on a plate.
All the other raccoons have promised to stay on the wild side of the river. They don’t want further trouble. But Muddy just can’t believe humans are averse to him helping himself to their delicious leftovers; after all, they leave their rubbish bins right out in the open, and the bins are easy to get into.
When a new restaurant goes up on the other side of the river, Muddy takes to swimming across at night. He helps himself to a plate (he really likes to eat in style) and he proceeds to raid the bins. He washes up afterwards, of course, as any well-trained raccoon knows to do, and adds his plate to the big stack he’s made on the riverbank.
One night, the restaurant’s kitchen door is left open, and Muddy’s usual routine is interrupted. A tempting plate of French fries sits on the counter, and Muddy cannot resist . . . Later, the raccoon community discovers what he has been up to. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow, everyone is understandably alarmed by Muddy’s actions, particularly his stealing of plates. Eventually, all the raccoons rally around him to rectify the problem, and they are surprisingly and richly rewarded for their efforts.
Griffin Ondaatje’s charming story is likely to be well-received by young children. Viennese artist Linda Wolfsgruber’s delicate pencil crayon and watercolour illustrations complement the text nicely. Since the story is set mostly at night when raccoons eat, Wolfsgruber uses lots of greens and blues. One of her especially nice touches is outfitting Muddy with a red bow tie to distinguish him from the other members of his group.
I think if I were to read this book to young children, I’d couple it with a short nonfiction piece on raccoons. Unfortunately, in my part of Canada at least, humans have encroached on raccoon territory, and raccoons have grown very comfortable in urban areas. Cute as they may be, these wild creatures harbour a range of parasites and dangerous bacteria. They are also the most common species to carry rabies. Little kids need to know that just because the raccoons in Ondaatje’s picture book wash their food—and even their plates!—this doesn’t mean these wild animals are clean and safe for humans to interact with. At the end of the book, the humans dining at the restaurant flee the raccoons that arrive on the scene. They don’t understand what the raccoons are trying to accomplish or communicate. In real life, of course, an overly friendly raccoon should be regarded with real suspicion . . .
All the other raccoons have promised to stay on the wild side of the river. They don’t want further trouble. But Muddy just can’t believe humans are averse to him helping himself to their delicious leftovers; after all, they leave their rubbish bins right out in the open, and the bins are easy to get into.
When a new restaurant goes up on the other side of the river, Muddy takes to swimming across at night. He helps himself to a plate (he really likes to eat in style) and he proceeds to raid the bins. He washes up afterwards, of course, as any well-trained raccoon knows to do, and adds his plate to the big stack he’s made on the riverbank.
One night, the restaurant’s kitchen door is left open, and Muddy’s usual routine is interrupted. A tempting plate of French fries sits on the counter, and Muddy cannot resist . . . Later, the raccoon community discovers what he has been up to. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow, everyone is understandably alarmed by Muddy’s actions, particularly his stealing of plates. Eventually, all the raccoons rally around him to rectify the problem, and they are surprisingly and richly rewarded for their efforts.
Griffin Ondaatje’s charming story is likely to be well-received by young children. Viennese artist Linda Wolfsgruber’s delicate pencil crayon and watercolour illustrations complement the text nicely. Since the story is set mostly at night when raccoons eat, Wolfsgruber uses lots of greens and blues. One of her especially nice touches is outfitting Muddy with a red bow tie to distinguish him from the other members of his group.
I think if I were to read this book to young children, I’d couple it with a short nonfiction piece on raccoons. Unfortunately, in my part of Canada at least, humans have encroached on raccoon territory, and raccoons have grown very comfortable in urban areas. Cute as they may be, these wild creatures harbour a range of parasites and dangerous bacteria. They are also the most common species to carry rabies. Little kids need to know that just because the raccoons in Ondaatje’s picture book wash their food—and even their plates!—this doesn’t mean these wild animals are clean and safe for humans to interact with. At the end of the book, the humans dining at the restaurant flee the raccoons that arrive on the scene. They don’t understand what the raccoons are trying to accomplish or communicate. In real life, of course, an overly friendly raccoon should be regarded with real suspicion . . .
October 17, 2018
Thank you NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for my DRC.
Muddy the raccoon is adorable!
He wears a bow tie and likes to eat his garbage off of plates all proper like.
This is a really fun little story with pages that look like paintings rather than drawings.
I really enjoyed this and can't wait to share it with the tiny humans in my life!
Muddy the raccoon is adorable!
He wears a bow tie and likes to eat his garbage off of plates all proper like.
This is a really fun little story with pages that look like paintings rather than drawings.
I really enjoyed this and can't wait to share it with the tiny humans in my life!
May 31, 2019
I liked the idea of a book about a raccoon, it's different and less common.
I feel raccoon are often misunderstood, so I was looking forward to reading this book.
I liked the illustrations, and found the story funny.
I feel there is something missing though, and felt the story ended too suddenly.
I would have liked it a little longer with a better conclusion.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I feel raccoon are often misunderstood, so I was looking forward to reading this book.
I liked the illustrations, and found the story funny.
I feel there is something missing though, and felt the story ended too suddenly.
I would have liked it a little longer with a better conclusion.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 27, 2018
Thanks to Netgalley and North South Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I was left feeling disappointed with Muddy; The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes, by Griffin Ondaatje. While the illustrations were a little less polished (I liked this and thought it went well with the story), the story did not stand out at all. What could have been cute, unfortunately ended up way too abruptly and had missed opportunities to explain parts of the story so as to feel more engaged with Muddy and his choices.
Muddy is a raccoon who lives on the outskirts of town with his parents in a tree. Muddy and all the other raccoons were banished from the city because they were eating out garbage cans. Muddy doesn't like the food that is available to him and prefers eating garbage. He ends up taking plates of food back to his home and when his family discovers this (and all the plates), they make him take them back.
While I think there are some good lessons here, the abrupt ending and idiosyncrasies of the raccoon (which were important enough to repeat, but not explain) left me completely confused. Maybe a child wouldn't care, but I think most kids will want to know why all of a sudden it's okay to take the plates back home after the raccoons tried to return them.
Overall, a nice beginning, but I wish the ending would have been better. Unfortunately, I will not be buying this for my child and can't say I would loan it from the library either.
I was left feeling disappointed with Muddy; The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes, by Griffin Ondaatje. While the illustrations were a little less polished (I liked this and thought it went well with the story), the story did not stand out at all. What could have been cute, unfortunately ended up way too abruptly and had missed opportunities to explain parts of the story so as to feel more engaged with Muddy and his choices.
Muddy is a raccoon who lives on the outskirts of town with his parents in a tree. Muddy and all the other raccoons were banished from the city because they were eating out garbage cans. Muddy doesn't like the food that is available to him and prefers eating garbage. He ends up taking plates of food back to his home and when his family discovers this (and all the plates), they make him take them back.
While I think there are some good lessons here, the abrupt ending and idiosyncrasies of the raccoon (which were important enough to repeat, but not explain) left me completely confused. Maybe a child wouldn't care, but I think most kids will want to know why all of a sudden it's okay to take the plates back home after the raccoons tried to return them.
Overall, a nice beginning, but I wish the ending would have been better. Unfortunately, I will not be buying this for my child and can't say I would loan it from the library either.
January 31, 2019
There were things I liked about this story and some that I did not. Muddy is a raccoon that does not want to eat the things the other raccoon eat out of the river. He wants to cross over to the town and eat scraps at the restaurant. Not only that, but he wants to eat them on a plate. He has been told not to cross the river as the raccoons got in trouble years ago by doing that. Of course he doesn't listen. When the others find out what he has been doing, it leads to a revolution with all the raccoons heading over and clearing out the restaurant. Overall, I liked this one, but it was not exceptional. I will read it to my grandson and see what he thinks, but it is probably not one I would buy.
So what did I like: Muddy sticks to his convictions, he knows what he likes. The illustrations are great, they are not polished, but I think they will appeal to children. It is a fun story with a twist to the ending. I learned that raccoons dunk their food seven times before eating it.
What I didn't like: Muddy does not listen to his parents and sneaks out alone at night. Didn't really grab me, it was kind of ordinary.
The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.
So what did I like: Muddy sticks to his convictions, he knows what he likes. The illustrations are great, they are not polished, but I think they will appeal to children. It is a fun story with a twist to the ending. I learned that raccoons dunk their food seven times before eating it.
What I didn't like: Muddy does not listen to his parents and sneaks out alone at night. Didn't really grab me, it was kind of ordinary.
The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.
October 10, 2018
Cute and fun story about raccoons. Easy and light but entertaining! Not really my style of illustration. Simple but alright.
November 10, 2018
It is a cute and fun story about Muddy, a raccoon (good for me I love animals). When it is about food he is picky, like most of the children. The book it is followed by beautiful illustrations. This kind of book are good for children and adults too.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for this copy.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for this copy.
October 14, 2018
Cute enough story of a raccoon, named Muddy, who doesn’t want to eat the food that everyone else does, he wants to eat out of the trash can by the restaurant across the lake.
So he goes there one night, and takes a plate of food, and all the other raccoons follow suit.
What starts out as a rebellion against what his parents wants, turns into a revolution, as all the raccoons join in and take over the restruant.
Not sure what the message is here, but kids might like the idea of the kid going against their parents wishes.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
So he goes there one night, and takes a plate of food, and all the other raccoons follow suit.
What starts out as a rebellion against what his parents wants, turns into a revolution, as all the raccoons join in and take over the restruant.
Not sure what the message is here, but kids might like the idea of the kid going against their parents wishes.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
October 12, 2019
This book is so cute! It follows an adorable raccoon that’s a thief—as all raccoons are—named Muddy. Muddy and his family live across river from a newly built restaurant. Against the rules of his raccoon community, Muddy crosses the river to steal food and plates from the restaurant.
This story reminds me of when I lived in wooded mountains and a family of raccoons used to come up onto my porch at night to steal cat food belonging to my family’s cats. With the porch light on, my brothers and I watched them from our living room window, a mama raccoon with several kids/kits, and this was one of the cutest sights I’ve ever seen.
This would be a great book to read to children any time of the day or year.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
This story reminds me of when I lived in wooded mountains and a family of raccoons used to come up onto my porch at night to steal cat food belonging to my family’s cats. With the porch light on, my brothers and I watched them from our living room window, a mama raccoon with several kids/kits, and this was one of the cutest sights I’ve ever seen.
This would be a great book to read to children any time of the day or year.
I received this book from NetGalley and the book's publisher in exchange for my honest review, for which I am very grateful.
April 11, 2019
Muddy is a raccoon who has a problem. He likes to steal food and plates from humans. But everyone in his community including mom and dad have taken a vow not to eat from trash cans. Once Muddy is outed, the community comes to his aid to help him avoid the restaurant where he has been stealing food.
This book could be used to show how communities help one another and support good behavior. It also can help discuss healthy eating habits and taking things that don't belong to you.
This book could be used to show how communities help one another and support good behavior. It also can help discuss healthy eating habits and taking things that don't belong to you.
March 1, 2019
Çok anlamlı ve güzel bir mesaj veriyor fakat illüstrasyonları pek sevmedim.
Thanks to Netgalley for this copy.
Thanks to Netgalley for this copy.
November 18, 2018
While most of the raccoons learned it is best to leave the garbage on the other side of the river alone, Muddy braves it each night. The other raccoons fear it will get him into big trouble. One day he crosses the river, goes into the restaurant, steals a plate, and pushes it across the river, heaping the plate with others he's stolen. The other raccoons help him wash the dishes and return all the plates, clearing the restaurant in the process. This book, first published in Switzerland, offers nice illustrations, but the story may not resonate with some readers.I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2019
Muddy, a Raccoon with a "picky appetite" and an affinity for dishes runs into trouble with the other Racoons when they discover his secret. What will happen when the group decides to right the wrong that Muddy has done? A cute, funny read that will you give an inside look in the raccoon community. Simple illustrations perfectly set the scene for the city critters.
October 13, 2018
Come here for really good artwork, and a pleasant and snappy story concerning a raccoon with tastes so astute and refined he has to eat his leftovers off a human's plate. I didn't know that raccoons dunked their food � which is nothing to do with cleaning it, apparently � but I do now, and adults and children alike will enjoy the twist to the end of the tale here. It's an easy read and well suited for a particular audience, with roughly five paragraphs for each double-page spread. Its subject and it itself are really quite winsome. Four and a half stars.
March 18, 2019
Muddy Whiskers is different from the rest of the community of raccoons. While they dine on ordinary raccoon food such as clams, frogs, slugs, acorns, turtle eggs and crayfish Muddy only wants to eat garbage and he likes to eat it off of a plate. What? Really? Why he even wears a cute little bowtie to show off his elitism. That too makes him very different from the commoners. At night he sneaks across the river to a busy, fancy restaurant and goes through their trash. He steals a plate to eat his tasty delights.
All the Mud River raccoons used to live in the city but are banished because they ate too much garbage. None of them want to get into trouble with the humans anymore so they make a pact never to cross the river and steal the people's food ever again. They all agree to the plan.... except... Muddy. He just can't bring himself to abandon those yummy morsels that he craves and loves so much.
Each night his father calls him from his tree perch and asks him to come down and help the group wash clams. Muddy declines the invitation because he is waiting for his favourite restaurant to open so he can go steal their leftovers. La Grand Bistro's, "Open" sign flashes on and Muddy zooms off. His dinner is waiting for his taking.
When he reaches his destination he notices the door to the restaurant kitchen is open and he sees a plate full of French fries. Do you think he can resist the temptation of just one tiny nibble? He suddenly hears footsteps, grabs his plate and tears off back home as quick as he can go. When Muddy climbs out of the water he bumps into his parents. Oh my! He is in trouble BIG TIME now!
Will Muddy be reprimanded for his disobedience? Will he be able to redeem himself and take responsibility for his wrong-doings? Will be forgiven by his community for breaking the oath they swore by to never cross the river and to eat the human garage that they dispose of?
The book is a simple read and can be a catalyst for conversations regarding: obeying parents, choosing to do the right thing, asking forgiveness, and upholding family honour, just to suggest a few. I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations as I find them to be sketchy and blurry and not much help in enriching the storyline. In my opinion they need to be more defined and refined adding more animation and emotion. I love that Muddy learns a valuable life lesson, one I hope he can be content with and live out as he goes forward in raccoon life.
All the Mud River raccoons used to live in the city but are banished because they ate too much garbage. None of them want to get into trouble with the humans anymore so they make a pact never to cross the river and steal the people's food ever again. They all agree to the plan.... except... Muddy. He just can't bring himself to abandon those yummy morsels that he craves and loves so much.
Each night his father calls him from his tree perch and asks him to come down and help the group wash clams. Muddy declines the invitation because he is waiting for his favourite restaurant to open so he can go steal their leftovers. La Grand Bistro's, "Open" sign flashes on and Muddy zooms off. His dinner is waiting for his taking.
When he reaches his destination he notices the door to the restaurant kitchen is open and he sees a plate full of French fries. Do you think he can resist the temptation of just one tiny nibble? He suddenly hears footsteps, grabs his plate and tears off back home as quick as he can go. When Muddy climbs out of the water he bumps into his parents. Oh my! He is in trouble BIG TIME now!
Will Muddy be reprimanded for his disobedience? Will he be able to redeem himself and take responsibility for his wrong-doings? Will be forgiven by his community for breaking the oath they swore by to never cross the river and to eat the human garage that they dispose of?
The book is a simple read and can be a catalyst for conversations regarding: obeying parents, choosing to do the right thing, asking forgiveness, and upholding family honour, just to suggest a few. I wasn't a huge fan of the illustrations as I find them to be sketchy and blurry and not much help in enriching the storyline. In my opinion they need to be more defined and refined adding more animation and emotion. I love that Muddy learns a valuable life lesson, one I hope he can be content with and live out as he goes forward in raccoon life.
October 15, 2018
Muddy: The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes is an absolutely adorable children's book with fun art. It's about a young raccoon named Muddy Whiskers, who doesn't want to settle for eating clams and other such food - he wants leftovers! When a new restaurant opens up close to his home turf, he decides to start stealing plates of leftovers rather than helping Mr. and Mrs. Whiskers and the rest of their group dig for clams.
This children's book is short and easy to read, great for kids just starting to get the hang of reading on their own. I also loved the artwork!
This children's book is short and easy to read, great for kids just starting to get the hang of reading on their own. I also loved the artwork!
March 15, 2019
Cute illustrations for this children's book, but the message to me was "Muddy". About a raccoon who liked to eat garbage on plates, and went against the rules of his parents and the other raccoons, not to eat garbage, to forage in the river for their food. He finally decided not to eat garbage anymore and return all the plates to the restaurant, and all the raccoons helped him. When they arrived at the restaurant with the clean plates, the people ran away and the raccoons ate their food and took all the plates. What? I'm not crazy about this message.....
August 14, 2019
This story was so silly to me. A raccoon named Muddy sneaks out at night to eat leftovers and garbage off of plates while his family eats clams and bugs and snails.
The raccoons are against this behaviour as it has gotten them in trouble in the past, and Muddys eating habits end up getting them in trouble again.
Dipping things 17 times, picky raccoons, and cute illustrations make this book feel wacky and fun.
The raccoons are against this behaviour as it has gotten them in trouble in the past, and Muddys eating habits end up getting them in trouble again.
Dipping things 17 times, picky raccoons, and cute illustrations make this book feel wacky and fun.
September 14, 2019
Eh, it was cute and a little funny at the end, but it was just eh. Muddy the Raccoon is hard-headed and practical, which I really liked, however, the author didn't make me want to continue reading the story. It was flat. Wish the art was more eye-catching or the story had more oomf.
#Muddytheraccoon #Netgalley
#Muddytheraccoon #Netgalley
October 13, 2018
There are many things going for Muddy. First, the premise, that Muddy is a picky eater and prefers human leftovers on a plate rather than clams and other proper raccoon food, is quite unique, fun, and full of potential. Second, the artwork tells the story as much as the author's word does; however, it would have been more enjoyable if the artwork was more refined.
While the story itself fixates on things that distracts from Muddy's tale, it is nonetheless a very cute book, but not one that would make it into my permanent collection.
While the story itself fixates on things that distracts from Muddy's tale, it is nonetheless a very cute book, but not one that would make it into my permanent collection.
January 3, 2019
Wonderful and fun book! My entire family enjoyed it! I highly recommend this lovely little book! Don't pass this one up!
June 18, 2019
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
October 12, 2018
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is small, funny story about a food-stealing raccoon. It was entertaining, with simple illustrations and nice dialogue, but there really wasn't anything unique about the plot. All in all, a pleasant quick read.
This is small, funny story about a food-stealing raccoon. It was entertaining, with simple illustrations and nice dialogue, but there really wasn't anything unique about the plot. All in all, a pleasant quick read.
November 18, 2018
*thank you to Netgalley and North South Books Inc for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars
I liked it! It was quite a fun little story to read. We all know raccoons are mischievous little things, expecually when it comes to food that gets left out or in garbage bins. This story is about a cheeky little raccoon who doesn't want to just settle and eat normal raccoon food like his family. Oh no. He wants the good stuff. The food scraps from the restaurant across the river! I bet kids will have fun with this. I know I did. The illustrations have both a childlike feel to them but are also detailed, well done and it looks great. Definitely recommend.
4 stars
I liked it! It was quite a fun little story to read. We all know raccoons are mischievous little things, expecually when it comes to food that gets left out or in garbage bins. This story is about a cheeky little raccoon who doesn't want to just settle and eat normal raccoon food like his family. Oh no. He wants the good stuff. The food scraps from the restaurant across the river! I bet kids will have fun with this. I know I did. The illustrations have both a childlike feel to them but are also detailed, well done and it looks great. Definitely recommend.
April 25, 2019
'Muddy: The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes' by Griffin Ondaatje and Linda Wolfsgruber is a picture book about a picky eater that wants to eat garbage, but on a plate.
Muddy Whiskers is a young raccoon that lives with his family and other raccoons. While the other raccoons are content eating shellfish out of the river and other things they find, Muddy wants to eat human food from the restaurant across the river. The elder raccoons got kicked out the last town for eating out of garbage cans, so they don't like what Muddy is up to.
The illustrations seem a little on the rough side to me. The story is ok, but it's a story about a raccoon stealing food, so that might mean having conversations about what raccoons do versus humans.
I received a review copy of this ebook from North South Books Inc. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Muddy Whiskers is a young raccoon that lives with his family and other raccoons. While the other raccoons are content eating shellfish out of the river and other things they find, Muddy wants to eat human food from the restaurant across the river. The elder raccoons got kicked out the last town for eating out of garbage cans, so they don't like what Muddy is up to.
The illustrations seem a little on the rough side to me. The story is ok, but it's a story about a raccoon stealing food, so that might mean having conversations about what raccoons do versus humans.
I received a review copy of this ebook from North South Books Inc. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
May 28, 2019
This was a fairly short and easy read of a mischievous raccoon named Muddy Whiskers. Muddy is a young raccoon who lives with his parents. Muddy is a picky eater and prefers to eat human food on plates. One day when a new restaurant opens, Muddy decides to go exploring. When the rest of the raccoons find out what Muddy is doing they make him return all the plates and apologize so that they don't get into trouble. The raccoons returning the plates causes chaos at the restaurant and Muddy's apology doesn't go as planned.
The illustrations were adorable and I think they went well with the story. Overall I liked the story. I think young kids would like Muddy and his picky preferences and would laugh at his antics. I do think parents might have to explain to some children about Muddy's antics being wrong, as the ending could be misconstrued.
The illustrations were adorable and I think they went well with the story. Overall I liked the story. I think young kids would like Muddy and his picky preferences and would laugh at his antics. I do think parents might have to explain to some children about Muddy's antics being wrong, as the ending could be misconstrued.
September 20, 2019
The Mud River raccoon community have been banished from the city because of their fondness for restaurants. One member of the community, Muddy Whiskers, has a problem—he likes to venture to a nearby restaurant, where he steals food and plates. Once his fellow raccoons find out about his habit and witness the large pile of plates Muddy has collected, they try to help. Ultimately, Muddy leads the other raccoons to a restaurant showdown—where the story is, rather strangely, left unresolved. Suddenly, it’s just over. The story felt a bit disjointed in places, as well. The illustrations are charming and children will likely enjoy seeing the raccoons in scarves and bow ties. It’s wonderful, as well, to see the raccoon community come together to help Muddy out of his predicament.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
March 8, 2019
A lovely story with cute illustrations.
Muddy, a little raccoon, can’t help himself. He loves good food and so steals leftovers from a restaurant’s rubbish bins. When he is discovered, he has to make amends. The whole raccoon community decides to help him and walks over to restaurant ...
The sentences flow really well and are easily understood by children. The story itself is very charming and at times even funny. The illustrations are not breathtaking but they are cute and fit the story about little raccoons well. It was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't mind reading it to my kids over and over again.
Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Muddy, a little raccoon, can’t help himself. He loves good food and so steals leftovers from a restaurant’s rubbish bins. When he is discovered, he has to make amends. The whole raccoon community decides to help him and walks over to restaurant ...
The sentences flow really well and are easily understood by children. The story itself is very charming and at times even funny. The illustrations are not breathtaking but they are cute and fit the story about little raccoons well. It was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't mind reading it to my kids over and over again.
Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 17, 2023
Muddy is a sweet raccoon who likes doing his things his own way. Instead of eating usual raccoon food, like small animals and plants, he loves human food, and is used to find his favorite meals in the garbage of a nearby restaurant. Best of all, he likes disposing his chosen food on a plate before eating. All is well for him, until one day, when his community hear of what he is doing and informs him that he is breaking an ancient pact. Long ago, the raccoons promised to never again steal human food, and humans to never again chase raccoons.
From this serious plot unravels a sweet and funny story about taking responsibilities for your mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and in the end, enjoying what presents itself to you. I really enjoyed the story, even if I was so-so about the ending. The illustrations are truly wonderful.
Thank you NetGalley and North South Books Inc for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read and reviewed: 2018-11-06
From this serious plot unravels a sweet and funny story about taking responsibilities for your mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and in the end, enjoying what presents itself to you. I really enjoyed the story, even if I was so-so about the ending. The illustrations are truly wonderful.
Thank you NetGalley and North South Books Inc for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read and reviewed: 2018-11-06
November 6, 2018
Minimalist artwork tells the story of a bowtie-wearing raccoon who prefers foraging in garbage cans than in the woods, but then insists on eating off plates. I don’t know why his parents call him a picky eater—unless they mean picking through garbage—but that’s definitely not my definition.
Apparently raccoons are OCD about washing, with a strangely high prime number.
The ending did not go as I expected, and I’m not sure if there’s supposed to be a point to all this. Muddy did bad things and got away with them in the end; not only did the punishment backfire, he got to do even more of what got him in trouble in the first place!
Apparently raccoons are OCD about washing, with a strangely high prime number.
The ending did not go as I expected, and I’m not sure if there’s supposed to be a point to all this. Muddy did bad things and got away with them in the end; not only did the punishment backfire, he got to do even more of what got him in trouble in the first place!
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