Raccoon Tune

by Nancy E. Shaw, Howard Fine (Illustrations)

A family of mischievous raccoons rifles through sleeping people’s trash in search of treats.

"Moonlight
June night,
Just-right-for-raccoon night—
Not too dark,
Not too bright,
As we look for treats."

And look, indeed, they do! A precocious family of raccoons prowls around the neighborhood, making a ruckus until they find a supper that’s truly “delish.”

This rollicking night outing, in lively verse and action-filled pictures, is sure to make the young reader laugh out loud.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Food, Music

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars.

Note: I used togive full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies (GR Authors' Feedback), the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing effort by only giving full reviews to books published by: companies outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of the big five companies so will not receive a more detailed review by me.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoy sharing Raccoon Tune at story time. It is a perfect book to accompany a lesson on nocturnal animals and exploring the outdoors in the evening.

A rollicking, fun-to-read text by Nancy Shaw perfectly depicts the night time shenanigans of raccoons. Howard Fine does not disappoint; he captures the expressions and behaviors that I have witnessed in observing these charismatic critters.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful expressions and cute characters that bring to mind the gentle humor of a classic-era Disney short. Perhaps this book will help garner a little more sympathetic views of these clever critters.

Veg*n parents note: The raccoons use an empty trash can to capture a bunch of trout (a more appropriate diet for the animals than garbage). The final page shows them eating the fish.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhyming tale of a family of roistering, roguish raccoons out on a moon lit night looking for treats to eat from garbage cans.This story tells of all the noise they make as they try to get the lid off of a can, and what happens when they finally succeed in their quest.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful random library find! I enjoyed the cadence of the rhyme and it wasn’t overly silly. I didn’t think it was possible to root for raccoons in their trials to get a can of garbage open, but I did! Fun read.

[Bee (BacchusVines) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in love with the brushwork in Raccoon Tune. The story is a group of raccoons going out to get their tasty supper in a metal can. I love how the strokes create movement of the raccoons' fur. I'm a sucker for these little trash pandas.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super charming, rhythmic story about raccoons in a suburban night. Great for dialogue about wildlife living near humans.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccoon Tune was a goofy story about what raccoons do at night along with some rhyming.

[Heather Burdette Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor's favorite book at Preschool Storytime today - the fact that raccoons eat garbage is apparently irrisistably funny for a 4 year old boy, along with the book's fun rhyming pattern.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute trash pandas.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be added to my raccoon collection.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rhyme is less effective with the page cuts.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccoons getting into the trash for dinner. Heavy blue illustrations to convey the night.

2024 Storytime Theme: Raccoons

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute rhyming story about some troublesome raccoons....

[Caitlin W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a raccoon, foraging in neighborhoods for food once all the people have gone to bed? This rhyming poem, narrated by the raccoons and split up into its separate stanzas, explores with a family of raccoons on their nightly expedition. They find a trash can that's hard to open, and when they finally do manage to pry the lid off as a team, it starts rolling away from them, down a hill. They chase after it, dreaming of all the treats it must contain, and feast when they catch up to it where it eventually stopped in a creek full of frogs. The poem is accompanied by rich color illustrations, done in oil paints that make the family of raccoons look very soft and fluffy. Their faces are very expressive, showing their effort as they try to pry the garbage can lid off, shocked as the can rolls down the hill, and supremely happy as they gorge on the food within the can. Since the story takes place at night, the palate is dark and dreamlike, with many blues. Recommended for grades K-2, especially for reading aloud.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary- This is a cute story about a raccoon family, the whole story rhymes and follows a rhythm. The story is from the perspective of the raccoon's rather then a human. It starts by the raccoon's finding a couple of trash cans and talking about what could possible be in them. One of the trash can lids was onto tight so they have to twist it off. This causes the trash can to roll down the hill into a pond. Where they caught a bunch of fish with it and eat that along with the trash they found. The story ends with them being very content with "going out to eat".
Reaction- I love the different perspective of this story and how the raccoon's talk about being inconvenienced by human putting the lids of the trash cans on. My favorite line is "People should have common sense. There wouldn't be so many dents if they'd leave off the top." This would be a cute way to talk about having a fear of the dark with children at night, how some sounds may seem scary but it might just be a hungry family of raccoon's.

[Evelyn Mauldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a family of raccoons who go on an adventure to scavenger for food at night. The author talks about all the clanging and banging the raccoons make, and how it is kind of like their own special music. They use cans, lids, and other thrown away objects to make their music. These details could be used to introduce music, and teach that music can be made using all different kinds of objects. Alliterations and rhyming are prevalent in this book, and teachers could embed related learning opportunities throughout the story. Additionally, this book has a soft and mellow tone, which could be helpful if read before nap or rest time. Lastly, this book could be recommended to parents if their children become frightened because of noises outside during bedtime. The parents could use this book to explain that the sounds are most likely caused by animals having a fun time during the night, and the child need not worry about the sound.

[Paris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could be read to Kindergarten students. It could be read by students grades 2-3. Raccoon Tune is about a family of raccoons who prowl the neighborhood looking for food. At the end, they find a trout (type of fish) to eat for their supper. I think young students would enjoy hearing the rhyming words.

[Jessica Trufley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I chose for poetry week. In the class you could easily use this for a rhyming lesson! The story and illustrations were so cute I had a grin the whole time I was reading it. It's about racoons getting food from trash cans and how it's the humans fault for putting the lids on too tight.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raccoon Tune is fun story about some raccoons who are searching for a good meal. Assisted by some light rhythmic lines, the raccoons get into trash cans and much more mishap. Shaw creates a fun, fast story that is enjoyable to read. The story is funny and is portrayed very well by Howard Fine. I really enjoyed this read, and love having it in my personal collection.

[Lari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful read aloud! Because it's a rhyming book, it's good for phonemic awareness and rhyming activities. It would be good for teaching the /u/ (with double dots over it that I can't figure out on here!) sound of moon, raccoon, tune, too.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming and beautiful illustrations make this a cute read, particularly the raccoon facial expressions, but then it fell flat to earn anything over 3 stars. I could see young kids enjoying it though.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why, but Emily loves this book (maybe the rhyming pattern?), but she makes excited noises and kicks around every time I read it to her. I do think the rhymes are fun.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story in rhyme

[RobesonBoys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanner: 1 star
Logan: 3 stars
max: 4 stars

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family of raccoons prowls around a neighborhood making a ruckus until they find supper.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. It is about what raccoons do at night. I liked that the story rhymed.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but the rhyming always threw me off with the last line. The illustrations are amazing, though.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lively, humorous, rhyming text about a group of raccoons out for an evening raid of the neighborhood trash cans.

[ChrisHughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is so adorable. The illustrations are well-done and the rhyming is well-crafted. This is a quick, light-hearted read great for a read-aloud for lower elementary.