This review is part of a partnership with The Miramichi Reader to help spread the word about Atlantic-published literature:

Skunks for Breakfast by Lesley Choyce, with art by Brenda Jones, is a comical story of Pamela and her family. Normally, they are unbothered by the different wild animals living under their house.

That changes one morning when they wake up to a smelly skunk living under there. The story shows funny scenarios involving each family member, and how the skunk smell affects them at work and school.

Pamela’s family decides to set a live trap and release the skunk, and later discover that there are many more skunks living there. Once they have all been set free, the family is relieved to no longer be living among smelly skunks.

While at first Pamela hated the skunks and how their smell affected her life, at the the end she discovers she has come around to liking them.

This story is successful in capturing and holding the attention of young readers with its silliness and repetition. It offers a lesson about giving animals and nature a chance, even when they seem to be nothing but a bother.

Skunks for Breakfast is entertaining, easily readable, and offers a good laugh for all ages.

Melanie Metivier is a mother to two young children, Adeline (2 years) and Harlow (1 month). She has a Bachelor of Health Science from Dalhousie University and previously worked as a Radiological Technologist before deciding to pursue a career in health insurance administration. She enjoys sewing, crafting and going on adventures with her family. Having lived in all three Maritime Provinces, Melanie now raises her daughters with her husband in Moncton.