When a human child kidnaps their baby sister Renae to keep as a pet, the only thing raccoon siblings Roxy and Rufus want is to get Renae back to their den where she belongs. Will the lessons their Mama has taught them be enough to guide them on their dangerous rescue mission? The first in the Living Wild Side by Side series, Raccoon Rescue is an illustrated chapter book that shows how similar wildlife families really can be to human families. Raccoon Rescue teaches empathy, teamwork, and tolerance and will be appreciated by fans of Kallie George’s Heartwood Hotel series and Ben M. Bagglio’s Animal Ark series. Using curriculum enhancements and extension activities that adhere to US Common Core standards for Grades 2 and 3, Raccoon Rescue -- printed in a dyslexia-friendly font -- is easy for teachers or homeschoolers to implement as part of literature, science, or social studies courses. From John Griffin, Director of Urban Wildlife, The Humane Society of the United States: "This delightful story about a family of raccoons not only provides a healthy dose of much needed empathy for what wild animals in our communities contend with on a daily basis, but an important perspective viewed through the eyes of our wild neighbors that will help all who read it better understand and coexist with them. "I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting, sometimes harrowing story about the individual lives of this family of raccoons. This story entertainingly winds through the lives of young raccoons growing up in a suburban community and in the course of that storytelling reviews and imparts life lessons that are universal to animal and human alike. "Drawing parallels and shifting perspectives from animal to human leaves the reader (as it did my 8 year old) imagining what it is like to understand themselves from a raccoon's viewpoint as the reader is carried along to the conclusion and a reuniting that portrays the strength and courage of a mother's love. From The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (Vancouver, BC): "It isn't often that a children's storybook about a family of raccoons can make you smirk, cause your heart to race, fall in love with a character, and walk away feeling good, all within 80 pages. But Raccoon Rescue manages to pull it off - and we can't get enough.... "...starts as an adorable story and ends as an adorable story, but what plays out in between is not only thrilling, but makes it impossible to not exercise critical thinking skills and experience empathy and compassion.... "The story is masterfully written in a Disney-esque style that elicits a range of emotion, regardless of the age of reader, and causes introspection in a wonderful way.... "Raccoon Rescue is a heart-warming, thrilling, intellectually challenging book that should be in the hands of every humane educator, and the shelves of every school library." (Full review: thefurbearers.com/blog/can-raccoon-rescue-kick-start-compassion) From the MaiStoryBook Blog: "A riveting read.... Perfect for educators and a classroom guided reading, the book also provides additional extension activities at the end to promote further investigation and research into wildlife rescue and efforts in the child's own community.... Check out this educational, engrossing read that is sure to turn any student and child into a wildlife activist and conscious nature-lover!" (Full review: maistorybook.com/2018/01/02/independent-and-self-published-features-featuring-kimberly-heil-christa-m-miller-and-roman-michelle-ami-cortez/> From D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review: "Christian Barratt provides the engaging drawings for Raccoon Rescue: Living Wild Side by Side, a chapter book primer for grades 3-5 which follows the life and challenges of a raccoon family.... "Raccoon and human habits are nicely contrasted as they observe the odd creature from a satisfyingly different perspective than kids may be used to.... "Kids with any familiarity with raccoons (and even urban dwellers who do not) will find these young raccoons both hilarious and thought-provoking as the wild/human encounter leads them to learn more.... "Families separated, conflicts that surround them, and a rescue effort make for a story line that is adventurous and which reveals raccoon natural history and human intervention in nature's processes. "The fun drawings throughout make Raccoon Rescue the perfect next step for nature-loving readers who still enjoy pictures, but who are ready for the structure of a chapter book complete with plot and animal insights. This audience will love this gentle, fun tale of animals learning to get along both in the wild and with the puzzling humans around them." (Full review: donovansliteraryservices.com/october-2017-issue.html#rrr) Raccoon Rescue was the result of spending hours at a local wildlife rescue and sanctuary, volunteering to help care for recovering and orphaned animals -- including raccoons. As I watched young raccoons