Raccoon on His Own

by Jim Arnosky

When a baby raccoon is swept downstream in an abandoned canoe, he feels afraid. But soon he notices all kinds of things he has never seen before, and from the safety of his little boat, he begins to explore the world around him. Paralleling the exciting-and often frightening-experience of a child's first adventure away from home, Raccoon on His Own offers little ones a glimpse of being on their own for the very first time.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Adventure, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2001

About the author

Jim 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.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nope, not me crying at a book about raccoons. It's not like I think they're adorable or that their little faces are so expressive or that I beg my husband to let me keep one as a pet (like Grace Coolidge!) or anything like that. Nothing to see here. (Thanks to June for bringing this book to my attention.)

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost as precious as the little child you would want to read this to! Or anyway, the one I am imagining reading this to. It is a sweet story, uncomplicated, with few words on a page and big pictures of a doleful little raccoon who gets separated from his family by accident. He is never in any real danger but he might be and that is the point. It can be played up or down depending on the reader's knowledge of the child to whom the book is being read to.

I definitely want to read more by this author!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, quiet book with a peaceful feeling despite stressful happenings. There's something magical about this book.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle introduction to swamp wildlife, perfect for my preschooler.

[Wendelle]

illustrations are very dazzling and cute!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, beautiful illustrations.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, realistic illustrations of swamp life, touching story with a reassuring ending.

[Cheryl]

LFL find. Hm. I think, in another mood, I might appreciate it more, so I won't rate. I do appreciate that it's educational, accurate, and doesn't attribute to the raccoons more cleverness than they have. I wish it had back matter.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raccoon on His Own by Jim Arnosky is a look at separation and feeling alone from the viewpoint of a small raccoon, who explores his environment.

A baby raccoon who crawls into an abandoned boat is swept downstream, and feels afraid. He soon notices many details he'd never seen before, and is able to explore his environment from the safely of the boat. Raccoon sees a snake, a huge alligator, young warblers, tiny turtles, and a mother merganser and nine ducklings. A variety of waterbirds, insects, fish and tasty crawfish make appearances. He's finally reunited with his family.

The text is descriptive of the swamp environment. The fear, wonder and excitement of the young raccoon are well conveyed.

The illustrations in muted colors show the beauty of the swamp and its many residents. The young raccoon watching his reflection is one of many wonderful pictures. The raccoon's family is protrayed following the lost one in order to catch up with him.

This is another gem focusing on a water centered environment.

For ages 3 to 7, environment, swamp, nature, animals, raccoon themes, and fans of Jim Arnosky.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digging for crayfish on the shore of a swampy river, a raccoon family become separated when one of the kits climbs into an abandoned canoe, and is taken downstream as it drifts into the current. Despite his fear, the raccoon kit realizes that he is safe in the canoe, and observes the world around him, from snakes to alligators, warblers to mergansers. Eventually he is reunited with his mother and siblings, who have been following along on shore...

Published in 2001, Raccoon on His Own is the forty-fourth title I have read from the talented and immensely author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, whose prolific output includes many wonderful works on animals and the natural world for younger children. Needless to say, having read all of these books, I am an admirer of Arnosky's work. This one lived up to my expectations, providing an engaging story that introduces children to the animals and habitat of a swampy river—given the species mentioned, it would be somewhere in the American South—as well as beautifully expressive illustrations. I thought the raccoon family, in particular, were very well done! Recommended to young animal lovers, and to anyone seeking picture books about raccoons and/or swampy ecosystems.

[Savani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raccoon on His Own is a sweet, gentle picture book that somehow manages to pack a surprising amount of tension into its simple storyline. Jim Arnosky follows a young raccoon who, through pure curiosity, drifts away from his family on a small boat and ends up having an unexpected solo adventure. For a children’s book, it definitely stirred up some anxiety, watching that baby raccoon float off on his own had my heart in my throat.

Arnosky’s illustrations do a lot of the emotional heavy lifting. Even though the little raccoon is carried farther and farther from safety, there are subtle, comforting moments where you can still see his family watching from a distance. Those quiet reassurance cues: his mother’s presence peeking from the edges of the page; help balance the worry with warmth. It’s clear that even during his most frightening moments, he’s not truly alone.

The adventure itself is gentle and full of natural beauty, but the real highlight is the relief when the story comes full circle. The happy ending feels well-earned, and the reunion is a sweet reminder of the safety and comfort of home.

Arnosky captures both the wonder and the danger of exploration through the eyes of a young animal, and the emotional pull of the story is stronger than you might expect for such a short book. It’s a lovely blend of mild suspense, nature appreciation, and heartwarming reassurance, one that stays with you long after the last page.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my daughter’s February Imagination Library book. Little raccoon gets separated from its mother and siblings in a boat that takes a little trip downstream.

My daughter enjoyed this book, but it made her a little sad for raccoon since he was all alone. She couldn’t really understand why he was by himself, even though I kept explaining it to her.

This was an easy story to follow, and my daughter is starting to understand situations more and more, so she enjoyed this story okay.

This would be a cute story you pre-k and kindergarten kiddos.

[Andrés · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never read an introduction to a swamp ecosystem, so that's the strongest part of this book to me. Through Raccoon's accidental float down the river, we encounter some formidable species: crawfish, snake, alligator, warblers, turtles, merganser, and--let's face it, the raccoons themselves. Raccoon follows his instincts to stay safe while he's on his own, and happily and serendipitously, Raccoon's boat bumps back to shore where his mother and siblings are waiting for him, perhaps having run alongside the boat as it floated downstream..

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and I found this book in our neighborhood’s little free library. It was originally from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. I picked it up because I love raccoons.

Tonight after tv time, Jack grabbed this book out of the box and asked me to read it. He cuddled Tom Tom by the window and stood next to me, moving back and forth while I read. He was super excited when the raccoon was reunited with his mama.

[Sydney Huntington-Strohm · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the raccoons got stuck in a boat and separated from his family. He tried to make it so he could get off the boat. The raccoon saw his reflection in the water as he went along. The raccoon was sad when he saw the other animals with their family. He eventually got to see family down far of the stream. This would be a good relationship book to have people see the value of family.

[zOdAê aKAê · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raccoon and her babies are in search of some food, but one of her young ones floats away in a boat! How will they get back to one another? In this book, the young racoon faces new dangers and new friends as he floats along in a boat. The words in this book are simple and engaging and the illustrations are captivating.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series of books by this author. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, so many animals are represented and taught about, and the books are just chock full of information about animals, what they do, and what their environment is like. My daughter loves these books too.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible. Amazing. ADORABLE. Who can deny those sweet little eyes?? Those little hands?? That fluffy fur?? Not me, obviously.

This sweet story is paired with the softest, most wonderful illustrations. This one will tug at your heart strings, with a happy ending for everyone included.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

RAR April picture book reads...krb 3/29/19

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[JoDesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art in this book is fantastic

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Raccoon gets swept downstream but safely rejoins his family in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet read with a bit of thrill. Baby raccoon takes a trip down the swampy river without his family beside him. The art is gorgeous!

[Rachna Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little unexpected adventurous story!!

[Farleyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story and illustrations. Relatable for kids

[Brenda Anweiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Arnosky's books are just simply beautiful and great gentle reads for new readers. The illustrations are amongst my favorites.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was adorable!!!

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arnosky Adventure #4
A yarn about a raccoon who is alone for the first time and his adventures, some interest again for animal lovers with this yarn.

[Shane]

Beautifully expressive protagonist. Does not need to say a word.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

love the illustrations!