Punk Skunks

by Trisha Speed Shaskan, Stephen Shaskan (Illustrator)

Overview

Join two rockin’ punk skunks in a fun story about friendship.

Kit and Buzz are BSFs—Best Skunks Forever. Every day they rock out together. But when Kit wants to sing a song about skating and Buzz wants to sing a song about painting, the BSFs get into a HUGE fight!

They try to hum, drum, and strum on their own, but it’s all wrong. Will Kit and Buzz find a way to make up?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062363961
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Trisha Speed Shaskan has an MFA in creative writing. Trisha has been an educator, bookseller, and has worked in a library. For fun, she loves playing the drums with her husband, Stephen, who plays guitar. Their love of music inspired this book.

Stephen Shaskan graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration. Stephen is an author, illustrator, an early childhood educator, and a music maker. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Trisha Speed Shaskan, and their cat, Eartha, and dog, Bea.

Editorial Reviews

11/16/2015
The hippest kids in the neighborhood, Kit and Buzz are BSFs (“best skunks forever”) and bandmates. A fight about their next song creates a massive rift, and each skunk swears never to rock out together again. Their playmates, a trio of rabbits, are shocked: in one scene, the bunnies stare at an empty, fading hopscotch court that Buzz had previously spray-painted (using his skunk sprayer, of course) like fans who believe the music has died. But the two skunks quickly discover that going solo is no fun, and while neither says “I’m sorry,” they realize they need to get the band back together. Stephen Shaskan’s (The Three Triceratops Tuff) cartooning has lots of energy and a 1960s rock poster palette. Trisha Speed Shaskan’s (the Other Side of the Story series) text is a little too earnest, and underneath the characters’ mildly outré hairdos, punk-rock wardrobes, and repeated exclamations of “Dig it!” and “Rock on!” lies a conventional story about the ebb and flow of a friendship. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—It's all about rhythm and rhyme for the punk skunks. Kit and Buzz are BSFs—Best Skunks Forever—and they fill their town with their rockin' beats and jams. Ever the artistic duo, they always find a way to jam out in harmony—until one day, when they can't quite agree what they'll write their next song about. After a not so harmonious argument, Kit goes solo on her drums but realizes it's all wrong, so she gives up and sets out to sell her drums at Moe's, the local music shop. Buzz tries hummin' and strummin' on his strings, but it's just not right, so he heads out to sell his prized guitar. When he arrives at Moe's, he is surprised to see Kit there. They rekindle their musical spirit and find a way to rock out once more. With a "crash! bam! boom!" and a "wahh! wahh! ren!" and fresh new lyrics to boot, the skunks put on a concert for all their friends and finally find friendship and harmony again. With plenty of onomatopoeia and alliteration, this title will get readers up out of their seats and rocking. Bright, neon-inspired cartoons lend themselves to the rockin' and rhythmic text. VERDICT A vibrant, fun, and memorable read for independent readers as well as group sharing.—Natalie Braham, Denver Public Library

School Library Journal

2015-11-03
BSFs, best skunks forever! Maybe…. Kit, a pink-and-white-haired girl skunk, and Buzz, a boy skunk with green, spiky hair, spend every day together. Kit on her skateboard and Buzz on his bike, they zoom through urban streets and play in the park. "And best of all…they rocked out. / Kit drummed. / CRASH! / BAM! / BOOM! / BOOM! /Buzz strummed. / WAHH! / WAHH! / REN! / REN!" One day they disagree on what to write a song about. The next day they don't get together. Both become so sad they decide to sell their instruments. When they meet outside Mole's new and used music store, they find BSFs can rock on even through disagreements. This debut by a husband and wife team is a passable tale of music and friendship full of onomatopoeic phrases. The bright, digital cartoon illustrations are exuberant and inviting and help to (but don't quite) lift this above the pack of similar fare. Some visual jokes (Kit's "ABCD" T-shirt and band posters for "Shrewsie Shrew" and the likes) may make parents giggle, but the target audience probably won't notice. Strangely, Buzz sprays paint out his backside rather than stench, which may raise a few eyebrows, and although Kit's pretty fierce, does she really need to be color-coded pink? Not a stinker, but no hit record either. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews