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Raccoons and Ripe Corn
The corn is ripe...and the raccoons are hungry. As the moon rises a mother raccoon and her two young begin an all night feast in a cornfield. Acclaimed nature artist Jim Arnosky gives young children an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.
32 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1987
4 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Jim Arnosky
162 books77 followersJim Arnosky was born in New York City, NY Sept 1, 1946. He was raised in Pennsylvania. Jim graduated from high school in Philadelphia and joined the US Naval Reserves. His active duty took him to Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany.
In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.
Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.
Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.
In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.
Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.
Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 24, 2021
One autumn night, when a local farmer's corn is ripe and ready to be harvested, a family of raccoons sneaks into the field to feast on the bounty. The raccoons spend the night in the cornfield, hurriedly rushing back into the woods come dawn, having sated their hunger, but of course also leaving rather a major mess for the farmer.
So yes, I think the main and first strength of Raccoons and Ripe Corn are most definitely and without much doubt the descriptive, evocative (and really, truly simply glorious) accompanying illustrations. Not only are they incredibly, wonderfully detailed and realistic, author/illustrator Jim Arnosky has also managed to absolutely and completely capture both the mannerisms and facial expressions of the raccoon family (I have watched raccoons feasting on corn, on vegetables and the like on my own property, and the antics of the raccoons depicted by Arnosky are basically and for all intents and purposes identical).
Although I thus most definitely was and continue to be enthralled with and by the illustrations of Raccoons and Ripe Corn, I cannot really say that I was/am in any way similarly "wowed" by the text, and to such an extent that the narrative actually just feels mundane and more than a bit lacking, especially when juxtaposed against the evocative, lively depictions of the frolicking, busily feasting and munching raccoons. And while I have no problems, no issues with the fact that the text is likely meant to be simple (as befitting a picture book for younger children), the author's presented narrative, his printed words are not only plain and uncomplicated, they also rather lack both description and substance, a barely adequate, but for also very much pale and distant reflection of the illustrations. In fact, while I could well imagine Jim Arnosky's illustrations without his text (and actually believe that Raccoons and Ripe Corn would perhaps even be better and more versatile if used as a wordless picture book), I could not in any way imagine the text, the mundane and lifeless narrative without the accompanying artwork.
And finally, and annoyingly (frustratingly), I also have to wonder wether it might have been worthwhile for Jim Arnosky to at least mention, to at least point out that a family of raccoons invading a cornfield would more than likely not exactly be appreciated by the farmer (who is, after all, counting on harvesting and marketing his/her crops). This information would not necessarily have needed to be part of the story itself, but an author's note, pointing out that raccoons can be quite majorly destructive at times, would have been a welcome addition (and perhaps a good starting-off-point for further discussion, especially when reading this book with/to slightly older children). Two and a half stars (but upon rereading, I do not quite think that Raccoons and Ripe Corn is worth three stars, and oh, I do so wish that half stars were to become a possibility, a reality on GR, likely a pipe dream, but I can and do hope).
So yes, I think the main and first strength of Raccoons and Ripe Corn are most definitely and without much doubt the descriptive, evocative (and really, truly simply glorious) accompanying illustrations. Not only are they incredibly, wonderfully detailed and realistic, author/illustrator Jim Arnosky has also managed to absolutely and completely capture both the mannerisms and facial expressions of the raccoon family (I have watched raccoons feasting on corn, on vegetables and the like on my own property, and the antics of the raccoons depicted by Arnosky are basically and for all intents and purposes identical).
Although I thus most definitely was and continue to be enthralled with and by the illustrations of Raccoons and Ripe Corn, I cannot really say that I was/am in any way similarly "wowed" by the text, and to such an extent that the narrative actually just feels mundane and more than a bit lacking, especially when juxtaposed against the evocative, lively depictions of the frolicking, busily feasting and munching raccoons. And while I have no problems, no issues with the fact that the text is likely meant to be simple (as befitting a picture book for younger children), the author's presented narrative, his printed words are not only plain and uncomplicated, they also rather lack both description and substance, a barely adequate, but for also very much pale and distant reflection of the illustrations. In fact, while I could well imagine Jim Arnosky's illustrations without his text (and actually believe that Raccoons and Ripe Corn would perhaps even be better and more versatile if used as a wordless picture book), I could not in any way imagine the text, the mundane and lifeless narrative without the accompanying artwork.
And finally, and annoyingly (frustratingly), I also have to wonder wether it might have been worthwhile for Jim Arnosky to at least mention, to at least point out that a family of raccoons invading a cornfield would more than likely not exactly be appreciated by the farmer (who is, after all, counting on harvesting and marketing his/her crops). This information would not necessarily have needed to be part of the story itself, but an author's note, pointing out that raccoons can be quite majorly destructive at times, would have been a welcome addition (and perhaps a good starting-off-point for further discussion, especially when reading this book with/to slightly older children). Two and a half stars (but upon rereading, I do not quite think that Raccoons and Ripe Corn is worth three stars, and oh, I do so wish that half stars were to become a possibility, a reality on GR, likely a pipe dream, but I can and do hope).
November 12, 2012
A gentle little story about a family of raccoons who comes out one autumn night to eat the pump, ripe corn that is ready for harvest. I enjoyed the way the story is told--it is straightforward enough for younger readers, yet the word choice is pleasing and not too simple--and especially the detail in the (beautiful!) illustrations (such as the bugs on the corn). While on one hand I wanted a bit more, on the other, I could appreciate the narrow focus of the story, allowing the details in the little autumn scene and in the way the raccoons eat the corn, to really shine.
October 10, 2012
Our girls did not want to read this book together. At first I wondered why. Was it too detailed or boring? But then I looked at the first few pages and I realized that they considered the book far too babyish for them. Sigh.
So, I explained that this book was one of the books selected for a book club and that I wanted to read it, even if I had to read it on my own. Then I told them to ignore the big font and short tale and to look at the pictures and tell me what they thought. After that, they were far more enthused about the story and even said that they liked it...a little. We kind of wove our own tale, making comments and inserting dialogue as we perused the pages.
Now that our girls are getting older, I am discovering that I have to be fairly judicious with the books we choose to read together. They still love picture books, but insist on ones that they do not consider too babyish for them.
I thought that the book had a nice story and gorgeous illustrations. We have been reading a lot of books by Jim Arnosky lately and our girls really like the Crinkleroot series. I just have to check the book's content first, to make sure it's age appropriate. (And then read the rest on my own!)
This story was selected as one of the books for the October 2012 - Harvest-Time and Pumpkins reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
So, I explained that this book was one of the books selected for a book club and that I wanted to read it, even if I had to read it on my own. Then I told them to ignore the big font and short tale and to look at the pictures and tell me what they thought. After that, they were far more enthused about the story and even said that they liked it...a little. We kind of wove our own tale, making comments and inserting dialogue as we perused the pages.
Now that our girls are getting older, I am discovering that I have to be fairly judicious with the books we choose to read together. They still love picture books, but insist on ones that they do not consider too babyish for them.
I thought that the book had a nice story and gorgeous illustrations. We have been reading a lot of books by Jim Arnosky lately and our girls really like the Crinkleroot series. I just have to check the book's content first, to make sure it's age appropriate. (And then read the rest on my own!)
This story was selected as one of the books for the October 2012 - Harvest-Time and Pumpkins reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
February 1, 2019
A family of raccoons enjoys a midnight feast in this natural history picture-book from Jim Arnosky, stealing into a corn field late at night and helping themselves to the delicious ripe ears. Climbing the tall stalks, peeling away the green husks, and feasting, the procyonine invaders enjoy themselves under the full moon, before sneaking off just as dawn approaches.
Chosen as one of our October selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Harvest-Time and Pumpkins," Raccoons and Ripe Corn combines a simple text with lovely artwork, and would make an excellent ecologically-themed story for younger picture-book readers. Although I wouldn't describe the narrative as scintillating, it conveys the action well enough, and provides a foundation for the illustrations, which truly are beautiful.
Chosen as one of our October selections over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Harvest-Time and Pumpkins," Raccoons and Ripe Corn combines a simple text with lovely artwork, and would make an excellent ecologically-themed story for younger picture-book readers. Although I wouldn't describe the narrative as scintillating, it conveys the action well enough, and provides a foundation for the illustrations, which truly are beautiful.
July 15, 2011
Raccoons and Ripe Corn by Jim Arnosky tells of a raccoon raid on a cornfield one autumn to feast on ripe corn. As morning comes, the moon, an owl and the raccoons retreat, leaving only green husks, bare ears and half-eaten corn.
Arnosky tells a tale that many a farmer has experienced, including my father. The text uses less than 90 descriptive words to tell the story.
Corn related words include stalks, silk, ears, ripe, rows, husks and kernels.
The illustrations are beautiful, with very realistic views of the raccoon mother and her kits, along with a caterpillar, a spider, owls and other birds, a mouse and deer in a cornfield and woodland setting.
Arnosky adds another small gem to his looks at animals and nature for young readers. This is a good choice for beginning readers and preschool story times.
For ages 3 to 7, nature, corn, racoons, animals, and enviroment themes, and fans of Jim Arnosky.
Arnosky tells a tale that many a farmer has experienced, including my father. The text uses less than 90 descriptive words to tell the story.
Corn related words include stalks, silk, ears, ripe, rows, husks and kernels.
The illustrations are beautiful, with very realistic views of the raccoon mother and her kits, along with a caterpillar, a spider, owls and other birds, a mouse and deer in a cornfield and woodland setting.
Arnosky adds another small gem to his looks at animals and nature for young readers. This is a good choice for beginning readers and preschool story times.
For ages 3 to 7, nature, corn, racoons, animals, and enviroment themes, and fans of Jim Arnosky.
July 23, 2013
My preschoolers loved this, but it bored my 5-yr-old. A story about some raccoons sneaking into a corn field at night to steal corn, it was more about fall and the leaves blowing over the cornfield. From the leaves blowing, to the mice nibbling on the corn, to the owls in the tree, it all fascinated my 3-yr-old twins. They often pointed out things in the picture that I was about to read about, before I even got the words out of my mouth. Overall, not enough words to even make it a level 1 read, but still enjoyable and pleasant illustrations.
January 24, 2020
It's short and sweet ... and made me think of the movie, "Old Yeller." Except when the raccoons tried sneaking into the field in "Old Yeller," it ended differently. Haha!
Ages: 3 - 5
#fall #autumn
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Ages: 3 - 5
#fall #autumn
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
October 14, 2012
This was not my favorite Arnosky book, I think because I am an adult. I can see a two-year old liking it because of the short narrative and great illustrations. Raccoons invading a cornfield at night and eating to their heart's content didn't do much for me. But reading and talking about the illustrations to a young child would probably make it somewhat important for beginning listeners. The book was just too simplified for older readers.
December 15, 2009
Naturalist, Jim Arnosky shows us the lives of raccoons in the cornfield just as the corn starts to ripen.
Children in my classroom liked this book so much that I wrote a unit study based on it at Raccoons and Ripe Corn Unit Study
Children in my classroom liked this book so much that I wrote a unit study based on it at Raccoons and Ripe Corn Unit Study
December 16, 2012
I love Arnosky's realistic paintings.
October 11, 2018
A family of raccoons come out of the forest and sneak into the farm field to feast on corn and are joined by many creatures. Wonderful selection for start of school year. It is shelved both in Non-Fiction and Easy Picture Books at my library and multiple grades enjoy the illustrations and details as much as the text. We discuss nocturnal animals, omnivores, habitat, adaptation, corn, and farms - lots to discover using this story.
May 6, 2018
Cute, and could be integrated into a lesson on woodland animals, maybe? Otherwise, pretty straightforward: raccoons come out of the forest, go into the field, eat corn, and leave. Illustrations are lovely.
November 5, 2019
Perfect for fields and forest tour for preschool, especially once the leaves have changed color. Detailed, realistic illustrations. Covers how animals interact with their environment, specifically a corn field.
May 5, 2025
Picture book with an easy reader, nonfiction feel. Full page illustrations with one to two sentences per layout. A family of raccoons enjoy corn on an Autumn night. It's a good Fall read.
2024 storytime theme: Raccoons
Reviewed from a library copy.
2024 storytime theme: Raccoons
Reviewed from a library copy.
July 17, 2018
The raccoons' antics climbing up the cornstalks amused her.
December 1, 2018
It's a full moon, and the fall corn is ripe. The smell of the corn draws a mother raccoon, and her almost grown kits to have their fill of the sweet plump ears before sunrise.
December 13, 2022
Very simple text but the illustrations are beautiful.
July 21, 2023
Not really educational, but good art and a nice read.
May 2, 2024
Arnosky Adventure #11
Read the title that is the story - all you need to know is there and well its ok I guess.
Read the title that is the story - all you need to know is there and well its ok I guess.
October 16, 2012
There really isn't a lot of substance to the story told in Raccoons and Ripe Corn, but I don't really think that the kids were listening to the words of this story anyway. The pictures are quite engaging, and they really do all the "telling" that needs to be done. In fact, I think this could have worked just as well as a wordless book. The kids had a great time looking at the detail in the pictures--raccoon footprints in the dirt, nibbled ears of corn, and other animals that appeared in the pictures. All-in-all, a pleasant little book for autumn, or for kids that love animals.
January 7, 2019
This story follows a mother raccoon and her two kits (young raccoons) as they sneak into a field late at night and feast on corn.
Ages: Early readers (Daycare/Pre-K to Kindergarten)
Rated 3 out of 5 stars for:
- Extremely beautiful, descriptive illustrations (colored pencil?) and serif typography
- Really simple story/small amount of narrative. Could contain more?
- Contains rather advanced vocabulary for little ones (words like "plump", "ripe", "whistling")
- Very good use of mood and setting for depicting autumn season
Ages: Early readers (Daycare/Pre-K to Kindergarten)
Rated 3 out of 5 stars for:
- Extremely beautiful, descriptive illustrations (colored pencil?) and serif typography
- Really simple story/small amount of narrative. Could contain more?
- Contains rather advanced vocabulary for little ones (words like "plump", "ripe", "whistling")
- Very good use of mood and setting for depicting autumn season
August 11, 2012
a good story about wildlife in the neighborhood
November 9, 2012
Beautiful illustrations, but the story of raccoons decimating a corn field did not do much for me.
April 5, 2013
Wow! I learned something. Baby raccoons are called kits!
September 16, 2014
Not much to this story. Raccoons creep into a corn field, steal a bunch of corn, and leave. Seriously, that's the whole book.
May 2, 2015
I gave this one five stars for the beautiful illustrations. Also, I because I like racoons.
December 1, 2016
a very simple and easy to follow book about raccoons slipping into a corn field at night for dinner. Any age group.
April 14, 2019
The class liked this book a lot.
October 16, 2020
I loved it the best out of all books ever.
July 4, 2013
For very young readers. I was surprised it didn't have more of an "ending." Art was okay.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews