Rascal (book)

1963 children's book by Sterling North Rascal First editionAuthorSterling NorthIllustratorJohn SchoenherrLanguageEnglishGenreMemoir, Children's literaturePublisherE. P. DuttonPublication dateAugust 5, 1963Publication placeUnited StatesMedia typePrint (Hardcover)Pages189 Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era, often referred to as Rascal, is a 1963 children's book by Sterling North about his childhood in Wisconsin, illustrated by John Schoenherr. Publication Rascal was published on August 5, 1963 by Dutton Children's Books. The book is a remembrance of a year in the author's childhood during which he raised a baby raccoon named "Rascal". Summary Subtitled "A Memoir of a Better Era", North's book is about being young and having a pet raccoon. Rascal chronicles young Sterling's loving yet distant relationship with his father, dreamer David Willard North, and the aching loss represented by the death of Sterling's mother, Elizabeth Nelson North. The book also touches on young Sterling's concerns for his older brother Herschel, off fighting in World War I in Europe. The boy reconnects with society through the unlikely intervention of his pet raccoon, a "ringtailed wonder" charmer. The book beg