• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

The first title in a warm and witty illustrated chapter-book series from Newbery Honor–winner Amy Timberlake and superstar illustrator Jon Klassen, about a pair of unlikely animal friends

Analytical and set in his ways, Badger is taken aback when jolly, easygoing Skunk rings the doorbell to announce he’s Badger’s new roommate. (Badger may have been ignoring his landlord Aunt Lula’s letters . . . ) But as Badger begrudgingly opens up his home—and heart—to Skunk and his unconventional ways, the two characters become irrevocably changed by each other, establishing an odd-couple friendship that is timeless and real.

Set in a brownstone in a town that evokes a slightly-more-urban Hundred Acre Wood, the story is part Wind in the Willows, part Wallace and Gromit. Filled with a delightful population of chickens, sheep, stoats, hedgehogs, voles and philosophical musings, it establishes the perfect scenario for illustrations by Caldecott Medal–winner (This Is Not My Hat) and Honor illustrator (Extra Yarn, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole) Jon Klassen.

AMY TIMBERLAKE’s work has received a Newbery Honor, an Edgar Award, a Golden Kite Award, and the China Times Best Book Award. She grew up in Hudson, Wisconsin, but now calls Chicago home. She is a proud alumna of Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in history, and holds an MA in English/creative writing from the University of Illinois. You can find her walking on Chicago’s Lakefront Trail on cool, crisp fall days.

Amy Timberlake's profile page

JON KLASSEN est le créateur de Rendez-moi mon chapeau!, classé numéro un au palmarès du New York Times et qui lui a valu le Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor, ainsi que des livres complémentaires Ce n’est pas mon chapeau, pour lequel il a reçu la médaille Caldecott et la médaille Kate Greenaway, et Nous avons trouvé un chapeau, nommé meilleur livre pour enfants de l’année par le Publishers Weekly. Il a aussi écrit et illustré Le rocher tombé du ciel et illustré Les trois boucs et le troll, Triangle, Carré et Cercle, Le loup, le canard et la souris et Max et Sam creusent, creusent, creusent… tous écrits par Mac Barnett. Originaire de Niagara Falls, Jon Klassen vit maintenant à Los Angeles.

Jon Klassen is an animator and Governor General's Award-winning creator of children's books. His book This Is Not My Hat won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenway Medal, making Jon the first person to win both awards for the same work. Jon was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Jon Klassen's profile page

• CBC Best Book of the Year
• Indigo Best Books of the Year

"A treasure of a book that promises future misadventures from your new favorite odd couple." — Booklist (starred review)

"A splendid entry in the odd-couple genre, Timberlake’s spunky series opener posits that compassion and inner transformation can strengthen the unlikeliest of friendships. . . . Klassen’s muted, wistful artwork, meanwhile, invokes sweeping sentiments during key events. Exceptionally sweet." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Art by Caldecott Medalist Klassen offers Wind in the Willows wistfulness. Gleeful, onomatopoeic prose by Newbery Honoree Timberlake, meanwhile, keeps readers engaged through laugh-out-loud repetition as she tackles sensitive issues." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“As soon as I finished my first reading of this 126-page book I went back to page 1 and started over again for sheer pleasure. I’ve now read the book (including the author’s acknowledgements at the end) six times and have every intention of doing so again while I wait for the second book in the series.” — Montreal Gazette

“Timberlake’s slyly humorous story of friendship and misunderstandings is reminiscent in tone of both Winnie the Pooh and Wallace and Gromit. The writing is clever and perceptive (think Kate DiCamillo), and Timberlake never writes down to her audience…. Klassen’s charming black and white drawings appear throughout the text, serving to break up the chapters, capture the characters’ personalities, and highlight the story’s key events. Highly recommended.” — CM Magazine

"Delightful . . . An endearing tale about friendship." — Metroland

"While the characters are anthropomorphized creatures, this book defies age grouping. Anyone who has shared a living space — with siblings, classmates or grown adults — can relate to this witty and whimsical tale." — New York Times