One Smart Skunk Book

When Rebecca the skunk moves out, it really raises a stink.
Rebecca the skunk, who lives under a deck in the suburbs, tolerates the owner 's dog and eludes all the traps he sets to ensnare her. But when three big scoopfuls of mothballs are flung into her nest, she knows it's time to move on. Leaving a note behind — 'So long and thanks for the accommodations. Good luck finding someone to handle your pest control!' — Rebecca packs up and moves to the city, headed for a new life and new adventure.
This clever tale about one smart skunk is not only funny; it's also full of interesting information about skunks. Santiago Cohen's paintings, which have been likened to Ludwig Bemelmans', connect the reader to Rebecca by something far stronger than a pungent whiff: great good humor.

Kirkus Reviews

Rebecca, the skunk of the title, lives under a suburban back porch. She sprays Beamer, the family dog, once too often, and Willy and his parents try to catch her in a trap. Rebecca's too smart. When Willy's dad notices Rebecca is about to have a litter of kits, the humans bring out the extreme measures (moth balls, ammonia and rap music). Rebecca leaves them a note and takes off to move in with a friend in the city. Prolific Ziefert scores one of her few misses with this unfocused defense of skunk-kind. The point seems to be imparting naturalistic details about skunks, but the main character is humanized to too great an extent especially in the leaving of the note and the critiquing of the cage. Cohen's digitally manipulated, stylized illustrations are reminiscent of Lauren Child's work especially in That Pesky Rat. The artwork and Ziefert's explanation of the inspiration for the story are the highlights here. Collections in need of easy, bright science-influenced titles could do worse, but this isn't essential. (Picture book. 3-7)