Harriett E. Weaver

I loved this book as a kid...and it stood the test of time. I loved re-reading the book as an adult.

I purchased the book using my Amazon gift certificate from Swagbucks - so that pleased the economist in me, too.

Edited to add some further notes - a month after what I wrote, above.

March 5 is the birthday of a friend and he asked his friends to write a review of a book that they enjoyed reading. I decided to base my review on a favorite book from my childhood. I recently had the pleasure of re-reading the book. I enjoyed the re-visitation, very much.

Frosty is a whimsical (and largely out of doors) account which begins, as these tales sometimes do, with sadness. Frosty is the tale of a baby raccoon that had been orphaned due to a ruinous fire in California's Big Basin Redwood Park. To Frosty's great fortune, a female forest ranger (Harriet E. Weaver, the author of the book) adopted Frosty and thus begins the telling of the stories of their life, together. Sometimes hilarious (and at other times exceptionally tender) I can honestly say that some of the situations created by Frosty will stay in the memory of a person for over 37 years. I first read this book when I was 10 years old. During the many years, since, I have often thought about various scenes (and even exact sentences) of the book. Memorable? You bet.

I think that I found the book so interesting because in the 1970s there were so few female park rangers. Hearing (from a feminine perspective) Frosty's story in the words of a woman that not only held a unique working position but that she also wrote about her experiences with Frosty was very inspiring to me as a young girl. I was frequently found outside, up a tree, reading my books. I was then, as I am now, an avid fan of animals. The more unique the animal, the better in my book...so Frosty: A Raccoon to Remember was probably destined to become a favorite book of mine just because of the occupation of the author. I found her memorable style of writing very pleasing. As a young girl that dreamed of being a writer--and owning a raccoon--Ms. Weaver delivered.

Anyone fascinated by animals, people who share their lives with animals, outdoor adventures, camping and that enjoy reading about simpler, more innocent, days will enjoy this book. Part Born Free, part Rascal...Frosty will steal your heart.

And you'll never look at Borax, throat lozenges, chickens or Mexican hot peppers the same way, again.

I promise.… (més)