Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

When I saw Amy Timberlake’s Skunk and Badger available on audio, I thought I had a slam dunk for our next trip to Idaho. After a half hour or so, however, people wanted to listen to music instead; I thought perhaps that the style of humor was less accessible for my 6-year-old and turned on my Spotify playlist. When we tried it again on the way home, however, and the reaction from my kiddos was the same, I had to accept that it wasn’t going to be the perfect road trip fare I’d been hoping for. (I found it funny!) There aren’t enough illustrations to make the lack thereof on audio a dealbreaker, but for whatever reason, my kids were not enthralled. Since I was enjoying it enough to finish it on my own, though, I have to conclude that the undeniable humor in the story has more of an adult appeal. Rock-absorbed Badger and friendly Skunk make a solid ‘odd couple’, and I very much enjoyed Aunt Lola (even if hers was a solely epistolary role). The chickens were an odd addition, but then, the book was unapologetically odd all around. It’s an entertaining sort of odd, however, and so I’ll leave you to decide for yourself whether it’s worth your time.