Skunk and Badger

“Wallace and Gromit” meets “Winnie-the-Pooh” in a fresh take on a classic odd-couple friendship, from author Amy Timberlake. No one wants a skunk. They are unwelcome on front stoops. They should not linger in Important Rock Rooms. Skunks should never, ever be allowed to move in. But Skunk is Badger's new roommate, and there is nothing Badger can do about it. When Skunk plows into Badger's life, everything Badger knows is upended. Tails are flipped. The wrong animal is sprayed. And why-oh-why are there so many chickens?

Raising rats? “Easy-peasy,” Badger says. Two tiny rats, Zeno and Zephyr, have moved into the brownstone. Meanwhile, Badger needs to write a Rock Hound Weekly article. It's due soon-ish. (Must check calendar!) But nothing goes to plan: Naps are not the answer to everything. Articles refuse to write themselves. And why do the rats not know about sleep-at-night, up-during-day? It seems the most basic of knowledge. It'll take a North Twist village to raise these rats.