by Lyn Hancock | Oct 14, 2022

Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon, Chapter 2

THERE’S A RACCOON ON MY PROMOTION TOUR

Chance and coincidence play big parts in my life. Tabasco wasn’t my first raccoon orphan. Many years earlier, I was about to go on a little rubber boat ride for thousands of miles between Victoria, British Columbia and the Pribiloff Islands in the Bering Strait, Alaska when I was asked to care for Rocky Raccoon, my first orphan raccoon. Rocky came with me all the way and you can read his story in my book THERE’S A RACCOON IN MY PARKA.

So now I was just about to go on a promotion tour of Canada to tell people about Rocky Raccoon when I got Tabasco. I had no choice but to take her with me. This time we traveled by plane, many planes, wined and dined at the best hotels (well, baby Tabasco drank milk), and he was the star when we were interviewed by newspapers, radio shows and TV stations – in fact, in one TV show, all the cameras were focused on Tabasco, not Telly Savalas or other Hollywood actors and actresses on the show with us.

On our last plane ride before landing home in Vancouver, Tabasco was grown up enough to crawl out of his totebag home and wobble around my lap as I read THERE’S A RACCOON IN MY PARKA. The passenger in the seat beside me couldn’t believe it when Tabasco crawled out of his totebag and onto my lap. Imagine the story he told his wife when he got home!

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Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon

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About Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon

By Diana Lowery

Tabasco lives up to his name as he creates plenty of spicy adventures for his caretaker.

Adopting a three-week-old raccoon is a challenging responsibility even for an experienced wildlife researcher, but the rewards for keeping him hid from her landlord and smuggling him onto planes for a tour of Canada are worth the effort. Tabasco becomes a treasured asset to the author’s lecture circuit as she promotes animal research.

In Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon, author Lyn Hancock presents a chronological description of each stage of development as her pocket-sized, adorable critter grows into a full-sized raccoon. This memoir is a testament to Hancock’s patience and her concern for animal welfare. Her intention is to teach Tabasco the skills needed to live on his own. The situations that arise between the teacher and her pupil are both humorous and educational. Hancock’s writing skills are evident in this easy reading, 165-page story. The short chapters make this suitable for young readers. The descriptive passages make it enjoyable for an older audience.

The best part of this book is the realistic dialogue. Lyn’s conversations with both humans and animals add humor to the already comical circumstances that occur when raising wildlife inside your home. The trick-or-treat scene is one of my favourites. I also enjoyed the way that the author explains the various clicks and chirps that Tabasco uses to converse with her.

This book would be a perfect read-aloud in an elementary classroom. The students would be captivated by Tabasco and would be learning some zoology in the process. I was drawn to the story because I used to have a raccoon that knocked on my kitchen door at night asking for his dinner. After reading this book, I am glad I never encouraged my nocturnal friend to come inside.

Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon deserves 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well-edited: I found no errors. The cover is attractive, and the illustrations are clever. The black and white photographs at the end are endearing. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers. I recommend it specifically to nature lovers who appreciate the bond between animals and humans.