Have you ever wondered what raccoons really do after dark?
Every evening, a secret group of raccoons gathers in a quiet backyard to swim, share snacks, play games, and enjoy the finer things in life. They picnic. They celebrate. They stay up far too late.
There's just one problem: they're never allowed inside the big house nearby.
Certain they are just as sophisticated as the humans who live there, the raccoons hatch a clever plan to finally discover what lies beyond the front door. Disguises, daring adventures, and a very fancy evening soon follow-with surprising results for everyone involved.
Told in lively rhyming verse and brought to life through whimsical watercolor-style illustrations, The Raccoon Club is a humorous and heartwarming picture book that delights children while encouraging meaningful conversations. The rhythmic text makes it ideal for read-alouds at home and in the classroom, helping to support vocabulary development, listening skills, phonological awareness, and an early love of language.
Beneath the humour and adventure lies an important message about empathy, acceptance, and belonging. The raccoons may look very different from the humans around them, but they share many of the same hopes, feelings, and dreams. Through their adventures, children are encouraged to look beyond appearances and remember that just because someone seems different on the outside does not mean they are different on the inside. When we take the time to understand others, we often discover that we have much more in common than we first imagined.
As part of the Urban Animals series, The Raccoon Club also inspires thoughtful discussions about how humans and wildlife coexist in ci
ties and neighbourhoods. Why do animals sometimes want to come indoors? What are they looking for? How can people and wildlife share spaces more peacefully? The story invites children to explore these questions while learning about the important roles urban animals play in local ecosystems.
Readers will discover that even animals that are sometimes misunderstood-or viewed as pests-such as raccoons, rats, and squirrels contribute to the natural world in meaningful ways. They help disperse seeds, recycle organic matter, provide food for other wildlife, and form part of the delicate balance that keeps ecosystems healthy.
Filled with humour, charm, memorable characters, and valuable life lessons, The Raccoon Club is a celebration of curiosity, friendship, kindness, and the surprising connections that can form when we choose understanding over judgment.
Perfect for children ages 4-8, classroom read-alouds, discussions about empathy and urban wildlife, and families who enjoy stories with both heart and humour.
Part of the Urban Animals series. Available in English and French.
Boullard, Lise Hélène: - The creator of the Real Life Pets series, Lise Boullard is a bilingual journalist, author, and pet sitter based in South Vancouver, British Columbia. She holds a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University and has more than fifteen years of experience in journalism and writing, with work appearing in Reader's Digest Canada, The Vancouver Sun, Glacier Media, and other Canadian outlets.Inspired by real animals and everyday moments, she creates picture books that celebrate the personalities of pets through simple, heartfelt stories. She is also passionate about supporting French language development and Francophone culture in Canada, rooted in her French heritage through her father.-Créatrice de la série Real Life Pets, Lise Boullard est journaliste, auteure et gardienne d'animaux bilingue, basée à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. Diplômée de la maîtrise en édition de l'Université Simon Fraser, elle possède plus de quinze ans d'expérience en journalisme et en rédaction, avec des collaborations pour Reader's Digest Canada, The Vancouver Sun, Glacier Media et d'autres médias canadiens.Inspirée par les animaux réels et les moments du quotidien, elle crée des albums illustrés qui célèbrent la personnalité des animaux de compagnie à travers des histoires simples et touchantes. Elle s'engage également à soutenir le développement de la langue française et la culture francophone au Canada, un héritage lié à son père originaire de France.
