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THE FAMILY BUSINESS by Lenore Appelhans

THE FAMILY BUSINESS

by Lenore Appelhans ; illustrated by Ken Lamug

Pub Date: July 19th, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-0628-9886-9
Publisher: HarperCollins

Different family members have different talents.

Lucky, the youngest of four raccoon siblings, eagerly awaits the day he is old enough to join the family business. When he is deemed big enough, he joins his family in their ongoing hunt for food, raiding dumpsters and compost bins and scrounging for rotting fruit. Along the way, they’re called “robbers,” “thieves,” and “bandits” by the people who own the rubbish bins in which they’re foraging. Aware for the first time of others’ perceptions of his family, Lucky develops a stomachache at the thought of continuing the tradition and instead tries paying for snacks with found money and ultimately using his dancing skills to busk for money. Of course, a happy ending ensues, and the family business is modified. The book has fair pacing and amusing digital illustrations, but any educator, librarian, or caregiver who knows or suspects they know a family struggling with food insecurity will likely find this a problematic title. The raccoons are branded thieves for taking unwanted and discarded food items, and Lucky is treated with respect only when he has enough money to pay. In addition, the book contains a deeply flawed, not-so-subtle message that all it takes to change a family’s ability to provide food are honesty and pluck. Human characters are racially diverse; one character uses a wheelchair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Like raccoons you see out in the daytime, this book should be avoided.

(Picture book. 6-10)