Masked Prowler, The Story of a Raccoon
Encyclopedia
Masked Prowler, The Story of a Raccoon (1950) is a children's novel written by John and Jean George and illustrated by Jean George, more famously known by her later novels as Jean Craighead George
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This is the chronicle of Procyon, from his birth, mother's lessons, and adventures with his littermates, to his solitary adolescence, mating, hibernation, and encounters with humans. The humans are secondary characters, mainly Minnesota farmers, hunters, and storytellers, who help put Procyon's history in perspective. Even more so than with their first novel, Vulpes, the Red Fox, the Georges do not present an anthropomorphic world; the names of the animal characters are taken from their Latin scientific names: e.g., the raccoon
is Procyon lotor, and Procyon's mate here is named Lotor. Only the humans are given moral traits (the good farmer Gib and his hired hand, Joe, vs. the Luke brothers who hunt animals out of season); the animals are presented realistically, without sentimentality, simply struggling to survive. As such, it is an early example of true ecological fiction.
Jean Craighead George
Jean Craighead George is an American author. She currently lives in Chappaqua, New York.Jean Craighead George has written over one hundred popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal and Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side...
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This is the chronicle of Procyon, from his birth, mother's lessons, and adventures with his littermates, to his solitary adolescence, mating, hibernation, and encounters with humans. The humans are secondary characters, mainly Minnesota farmers, hunters, and storytellers, who help put Procyon's history in perspective. Even more so than with their first novel, Vulpes, the Red Fox, the Georges do not present an anthropomorphic world; the names of the animal characters are taken from their Latin scientific names: e.g., the raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
is Procyon lotor, and Procyon's mate here is named Lotor. Only the humans are given moral traits (the good farmer Gib and his hired hand, Joe, vs. the Luke brothers who hunt animals out of season); the animals are presented realistically, without sentimentality, simply struggling to survive. As such, it is an early example of true ecological fiction.