Skunks

Children's Literature

The “Backyard Animals” series includes nine titles about animals that can be found in cities and town around the country. Butterflies, coyotes, deer, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, sparrows and squirrels are featured in the series. Each animal is introduced with a large photo and information about where they live and a few characteristics that make them special. A brief history provides information about the development of the species worldwide. A large photograph of the animal provides information about their specific body parts and how they help it survive in nature. The animal’s life cycle and what it eats are illustrated with photographs. Details about where humans are most likely to interact with the featured animal and myths from various cultures make the information more relevant and interesting to young readers. Skunks are small mammals about the size of a cat. They are best known for the stinky spray they use to protect themselves. They actually have only a small amount of this spray and never use it without a warning. The spray is very pungent and hard to wash off. In fact, it is used to make perfume. The bad odor is removed, and what is left is used to make perfume stay on the skin longer. There are many different kinds of skunks, though all wild skunks are black and white. They are related to two kinds of stinking badgers native to Indonesia and the Philippines. Some Native Americans and farmers kept skunks as pets to hunt rodents they considered pests. Large photographs and sidebars with factoids make this a nice way to learn about common animals children might see in their neighborhood. Reviewer: Kristin Harris