Bad Badger: A Family Story

Gr 3-6–Septimus the spotted badger and his friend Gully the seagull return, this time with three gull chicks—also spotted. ­Caring for the chicks is hard work without the rest of the seagull flock to help, and Septimus and ­Gully are feeling the strain when the forest ­badgers arrive for a visit. Initially overwhelmed, ­Septimus adjusts and comes to ­appreciate the badgers’ help. But then ­another worry arises: are the chicks too badger-ish? They refuse to learn to fly! Gully worries she’s a bad mama, but Septimus knows that isn’t the case, and he hatches a plan involving a ride on the Ferris Wheel at the summer fair to get the chicks in the air. This tender story of “odd ducks” of all kinds has the same magic as its predecessor, with a larger cast of characters. The badger’s interests—seashells, opera, Italian food—may not have much in common with most children’s, and his mannered language (“to be perfectly frank”) doesn’t echo how kids speak, but there’s much to love: with badger songs, found family, even a fortune-telling sea turtle, readers will learn how to get “to the bottom of things” as well as “to the top of things!”