Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Rascal

I did not like this book based on true events and written by Sterling North. In 1918 Wisconsin, 11-year-old Sterling has an almost perfect life. He keeps skunks in the backyard, goes everywhere with his enormous Saint Bernard, and is building a canoe in the living room. The only trouble is life gets a little lonely for him and his father since his mother died. While scouting around the woods one afternoon, he discovers an abandoned, month-old raccoon. Afraid the kit will die on its own, he takes it home to join his menagerie. Soon Sterling and the mischievous raccoon Rascal are sharing one adventure after another.

A Disney film version was released in 1969. There was also a 52-episode anime series called Rascal the Raccoon, which led to raccoons being imported into Japan as pets. Sterling's childhood home in Edgerton, Wisconsin has been preserved as a museum and his daughter, Arielle North Olson, is the honorary director. The author died in 1974 at age 68. His older sister, Jessica Nelson North, was also a writer; she didn't like his portrayal of their family in the story.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home