The Troublemaker

by Lauren Castillo

Bored and restless on a summer day, a little boy steals his sister’s bunny and sends it on an adventure. He is well satisfied with the results—until his own stuffed animal disappears. Could it be that he is not the only troublemaker around . . . ?

     A case of sibling rivalry is neatly resolved with the “assistance” of a hilarious raccoon in Lauren Castillo’s warm, simple text and gorgeous classic illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Animals, Humor, Adventure, Fiction

38 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

Lauren Castillo received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Honor winning book Nana in the City, and the new early chapter book series Our Friend Hedgehog. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

An imaginative young boy, wanting to play pirates with his toy raccoon Rascal, takes his sister's stuffed bunny as a prisoner in this entertaining tale from author/illustrator Lauren Castillo, only to be chastised by his mother. When Bunny next disappears, the boy's protestations of innocence are met with disbelief. Then Rascal also disappears, and the boy's blanket is stolen in the night! Who could this new troublemaker be...?

Children will enjoy being "in the know" as they read or have The Troublemaker read to them, and will be amused by the eponymous troublemaker's antics, as he steals first Bunny, then Rascal, and then the boy's blanket. As expected, given my enjoyment of Castillo's previous books, the artwork here is lovely, capturing the fun of the boy's imaginative play, and his dismay when the tables are turned on him. Castillo offers a number of gentle lessons here, from the idea that sometimes we will be falsely accused of mischief, if we have a habit of getting into it, to the notion that missing something ourselves can lead us to empathize with someone else's loss, as the boy does while thinking, first of his own Rascal, and then of his sister's Bunny. Recommended to Lauren Castillo fans, and to anyone looking for engaging children's stories featuring imaginative play and/or humorous animal antics.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little children's book mystery. All the groups I read this to had so much fun with this book.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cut out illustrations about a boy and a raccoon who is quite the rascal...

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

A boy and his stuffed animal are bored and decide to steal his sister's bunny. This gives a watching troublemaker an idea of his own!

I was sucked right into this story and as my nephew and I noticed a visitor in the background we became enchanted with the story being told without being talked about in the text! We loved that the illustrations went so well with the nature of the story. The thick black lines give the story a vintage feel as well. My nephew loved the end and the tree bed was what he wanted to draw (he loves to draw a spread from each book we read together!)

I'm not sure the message about sibling rivalry was tied up very well. We did talk about what was going on as we read. At this point my nephew thought it was just a cute story he didn't really grasp that taking other people's things is not a good thing.

BOTTOM LINE: Racoon lovers will adore this sibling book!

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young boy kidnaps his sister's bunny and ends up with a time out. When the bunny and the boy's beloved stuffed raccoon go missing, the family ends their day by going to bed without stuffed animals. The next morning, the boy discovers that a clever and curious raccoon has stolen the toys and his blanket. The illustrations reveal the raccoon's troublemaker ways from the beginning of the story and young readers will enjoy following this important plot line.

I think this is a great text for introducing the idea of the Boy Who Cried Wolf -- young listeners will be able to understand why the family doesn't believe the boy after he steals the bunny the first time.

Recommended for preschool through kindergarten.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family vacation memories are full of the ongoing battle of my Dad versus the raccoons. Ingenious designs, guaranteed fool-proof contraptions were no match for the hands and minds of these nighttime marauders. We laughed ourselves silly as we watched evening after evening.

From time to time humans have been known to replicate certain skills exhibited by these bandits from the wild. In her newest title, The Troublemaker (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), author illustrator Lauren Castillo tells a turnabout tale bursting with humor. A brother has met his match.

My full review: http://bit.ly/1oFU3os

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real raccoon is the rascal.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think those kids who feel they always get blamed for something they didn't do will latch onto this book. I felt the simplicity of the text was not as strong as the story through the illustrations.

[Cosette · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don't like raccoons.

[Catherine L. Haws · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommend? - Yes
Would I add it to my collection? - No
Would I read it again? - Maybe so
Story analysis:
This simple little caper is fun and reminds me of playing when I was little. The sneaky racoon makes a good easter egg.
Character design:
Sometimes the racoon could be mistaken for the plush racoon. The mother and daughter have cute similarities (like standing the same way when they are mad). The main character is cute, but I don't feel connected to him. If he were in a line of other characters, he wouldn't really stand out.
Illustration analysis:
The bold outlines are charming and reminiscent of a coloring book. Some of the spreads without words have a lovely cinematic quality.
Writing analysis:
The writing is simple and easy to read aloud. The narration spells out what we see, but then there is also a part of the plot portrayed visually. It's pretty straightforward.
Closing thoughts:
This book is quaint, and easy to read. I would not call it extraordinary.

[Ma Jiani（Marjorie） · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting book on anti-teaching materials education. In The Troublemaker, a boy borrowed his sister's beloved rabbit to play a pirate game and then experienced her pain when his own plush toy disappeared. A lot of changes have taken place in the story. The boy took pirates with his sister's rabbit and then returned it. The raccoon then stole the rabbit again. Then it came back. The boy's plush raccoon. This kind of description is a good description of narrative teaching in writing teaching. Through the combination of textual plots and illustrations, the story can become more interesting.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not great either. The Troublemaker (2014) by Lauren Castillo is just a simple story about a boy who is bored and decides to cause trouble by stealing his sister's stuffed rabbit, only to be scolded. But when a secret thief takes the bunny again and the boy is blamed, but when his toys are taken, the boy learns how it feels to take something that doesn't belong to him and discovers who is the actual troublemaker. Very easy to read, with big words, but not much to it. Good for read-a-loud for the pre-kindergarten set. Wish it had more to it, but different children's books for different audiences and reading levels and ages. My rating - 3/5

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy is bored and decides to play pirates with his stuffed raccoon. Their pirate mischief leads them to kidnap his little sister's stuffed bunny. When mom finds out, he's forced to give it back. He goes back to playing only to discover that his sister's bunny goes missing, but this time he had nothing to do with it. Not only that, his own raccoon disappears too! What is going on?

Cute story about how a imaginatively mischievous boy meets his match.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

more of a 2.5. the illustrations are actually pretty cute and there's nothing *wrong* with the story except that it reminded me of the sort of story that a kid latches on to and makes you read and reread 90 million times more than you're actually interested in doing so.... one of those it's not the book, it's me, deals :)

[Karen Bessin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Troublemaker by Lauren Castillo (Clarion Books, 2014)

Publisher’s age range: Ages 4-7
My recommended age range: Ages 4-7

Castillo uses bold lines, bright colors, and dramatic shadows to tell a familiar story of a boy who likes to play tricks on his sister. The drama builds when the boy himself becomes a victim of a trickster and learns a lesson about empathy. The Troublemaker would be a fun storytime read and could be used for lessons about making predictions as well as to introduce conversations about empathy. With sharp contrast on each page to add visual appeal, a humorous twist, and a lovable villain, The Troublemaker will have wide appeal among the target age group.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous picture book about being unfairly blamed for something. Suitable for preschool-1st graders, this story will especially be enjoyed by those who have had experiences with pesky raccoons. Lauren Castillo's illustrations are sweet as always.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy takes some of his sister's things to play with and gets scolded for it. When his own things are taken he's not happy about it, blaming his sister. The next day he discovers who the thief really is. Cute story.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are disappearing from the yard and the house, but it's not the boy in the family who is doing it, when he initially gets blamed.

This was a nice book with nice illustrations.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little boy is playing and they think he is the troublemaker. But the real troublemaker is discovered in the end.

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book with nice illustrations.

[Tommie Branscum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little story. It has some good opportunities to let students study illustrations. Simple text and cute illustrations.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little story about a mischievous raccoon.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another beautifully illustrated Lauren Castillo book that I won’t be purchasing- printed in China 😡

[Madrush Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I am looking for a book for my children, I will always try to ensure that the book meets any one the following criteria:

(1) The book features siblings
(2) The book features beautiful illustrations
(3) The book contains whimsical rhymes
(4) The book includes a moral story that is not written overtly.

The book ‘The Troublemaker’ meets three of these criteria.

Author-illustrator Lauren Castillo has created one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have ever seen. She juxtaposes full coloured pictures with silhouettes. What results from this is a story book that has a retro yet timeless feel.

The story itself is about a boy who being bored, decided to play a sneaky game of pirates. However, in order to play the game, he needs to swipe his sister’s favourite stuffed bunny. This incurred the wrath of his mum who then told him to return the damp bunny to his sister. But, trouble ensued when the bunny goes missing again and nobody believed the boy when he said that he did not take it.

My boys usually love pretending to be the main characters of the book that I am reading to them. Interestingly, none of them did not want to take on the role of the boy and instead opted to be the sister. This was perhaps a reflection of what is happening in our everyday lives. My children love to grab each other’s toys. So It was rather heartening to see that my boys wanted to play the role of the victim. Through this book, I was comforted as a parent that my kids knew that it was wrong to take other people’s stuff without their prior permission. The book also taught me about parenting too! It taught me the importance of trusting my children. The boy admitted to his mother that he had taken the bunny the first time, but the mother refused to believe him when he told her that he did not take it the second time. It was in fact a raccoon!

The star of the show, the raccoon, was the real troublemaker. This sneaky sleuth appeared in the background of the pages clear enough for us to see but hidden from the boy’s sight. So while we are in on the secret of who is the true toy-snatcher, the boy is comically oblivious of what is happening around him.

There are some children’s books that I frankly hate to reread to my kids at one sitting but this is definitely not one of it.

Madrush Rating

Illustrations: 4.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Story line:5/5

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in the first person, this picture book is from the point of view of one bored little boy. He and his stuffed raccoon decide to play pirates. To do that you had to not only be sneaky but you also needed a prisoner, and his sister’s stuffed rabbit was quickly stolen and sent afloat in the lake. The boy was scolded and the now damp bunny was returned to his angry sister. The boy then spent time playing with his own toys, but soon his mother was asking if he’d taken the bunny again. He hadn’t but no one believed him and then his stuffed animal went missing too! It was a real mystery and now they had a real pirate on their hands.

Castillo takes a classic book of summer boredom and then picking on a sibling to a different and surprising place in this picture book. Children who are paying attention will notice a furry face that appears on almost every page in the background, a lurking raccoon who seems to want to get involved or maybe is having his own dull afternoon and is looking for some fun. This second little troublemaker adds a great amount of fun to the story. Even better, having dealt with raccoons invading my house and stealing my son’s stuffed animals up into their attic den, this all rings completely true.

Castillo’s signature art style is on display here. She manages to capture a timeless look on the page but also one that is modern and fresh. The tinge of blue on the stuffed raccoon make sure that children will not mix up the real and stuffed animals. The family’s home is well detailed, busy and filled with other natural touches.

A solid new title from Castillo that will work well for units or story times about pirates, siblings or raccoons. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Allie Burlingame]

Summary:
The Troublemaker is about a little boy who's bored when playing outside one day. He decides to play a game of pirates with his stuffed animal, Rascal. He gathered up a rope, a blindfold, and the last thing he needed, a prisoner. He snuck his sister's stuffed bunny to use as the prisoner and sent him out to sea, which was the stream in his backyard. When mom found out what he had done, she was not happy. He apologized for taking his sister's rabbit. He was playing nicely on his own, when he heard his mom calling his name. The bunny had gone missing again and his mom and sister did not believe him when he told them he didn't take it this time. His mom told him to stay in the garden where she could see him, and while he was collecting tomatoes, he noticed that Rascal and his boat were missing. He went to sleep that night feeling sad and missing Rascal. When he woke up, his blanket was missing too! He heard a noise outside and went to the window to check it out. A sneaky raccoon had taken all of their stuff. What a troublemaker!

Activity:
-The teacher will have the students get into groups, with roughly four students in each group.
-The students will create a Venn diagram, comparing and contrasting the boy and the raccoon.
-The teacher will have the students share their Venn diagrams with the rest of the class.

Citation:
Castillo, L. (2014). The Troublemaker. Boston, MA: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's a little boy to do when he is bored? Why, bother his sister of course! The main
character in Lauren Castillo's The Troublemaker decides that he is a pirate and decides to
cause a little mischief. Along with his trusty sidekick, Rascal, his stuffed Raccoon, the little boy plunders some rope (his sister's shoe lace), a blindfold (his sister's scarf) and prisoner (his sister's stuffed bunny)! Soon the little pirate gets caught by Mom and needs to give everything back. He seems to have learned his lesson but when bunny goes missing again, the little boy is the the number one suspect. That is until Rascal also goes missing. Who is the real troublemaker this time? Castillo uses minimal text to tell this delightfully funny story. However, her clever pen and ink and water color illustrations add so much more and tell the story of the real troublemaker. Recommended for a pre‐K‐2 audience.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy whose family lives on the edge of the woods decides to steal his sister's bunny for a joke. He gets in trouble, so he returns it. Then, the bunny gets stolen again, but the boy knows he didn't take it! And not just the bunny is missing, his own stuffed animal and some other toys disappear! Who could be the thief?

Observant readers will know at the beginning who the thief is, and may be able to spot the next thing to disappear before it happens. Though the "mystery" is fun, I think the best part of this book is when the little boy is missing his stuffed animal at night and realizes how much his sister must be missing her bunny too. That frame is worth the whole book, as the boy is sorry for what he did earlier and thinks of someone else when he's unhappy. Simple words, kind of an old fashioned look for the pictures, which were fine, but didn't draw me into the story as much as they could have.

No content issues.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

After kidnapping his sister's bunny while playing pirate, a little boy finds himself again accused of taking the toy but this time he didn't do it. Then his own raccoon toy goes missing. Who is the real troublemaker?

A light "mystery" for little kids. Careful observers of the illustrations will be able to figure out the true troublemaker. This would be a fantastic book for practicing making predictions. I was totally wrong in my predictions of who the troublemaker was from the cover and opening pages, and had to revise my predictions. This is also a good book to use when talking about character and how our actions of the past can impact how people trust us in the future. As always, Lauren Castillo's illustrations are adorable and wonderful. And I loved that the little boy had named his toy raccoon after another famous literary raccoon, Rascal.