I wrote this book based on a real little girl named Federica.
This is the kind of thing you learn when doing kid's books:
Raccoons don't really wash their food, the water makes their sensitive hands
even more sensitive so it is their way of knowing what they are eating.
I've heard that kids love this book –
what's not to love, messy bedroom full of wild animals.
I like to think animals understand us,
specially if we whisper.
Federica
Groundwood Books (2017)
Federica’s busy family can’t keep their house clean! To get away from the buzzy, buggy mess, she escapes to the peaceful park where she can spend time with her animal friends…which gives her an idea.
She brings home sheep and goats, spiders and dragonflies, a toad, an owl, and some raccoons. Then she takes her family to the park for a picnic, and while they’re gone, the animals chomp the overgrown grass in the backyard, eat the garbage and catch the pesky bugs overrunning the house. After a peaceful afternoon at the park, Federica’s family comes home to a clean house — and raccoons doing the dishes!
“Scot Ritchie’s warm art and original story bring a fresh perspective to the busy-family challenge of keeping the house clean, while featuring a clever and resourceful young girl who knows that, sometimes, letting nature back into our lives is the best answer.”
―House of Anansi