In this mostly true tale based on President and First Lady Coolidge’s real-life menagerie, their pet raccoon causes havoc and hilarity in the White House.
Rebecca was adopted by President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge in 1926, joining the many other animals living at the White House: cats, dogs, canaries, a bear, a wallaby, two lion cubs, thirteen Pekin ducks, and more. But none of those pets were half as wonderful as Rebecca—just ask her! After all, First Lady Grace walked Rebecca around on a leash for everyone to see. The president cuddled Rebecca in front of the fire at night. And the staff just loved chasing Rebecca around the White House and cleaning up her messes!
Inspired by a real presidential pet, this spunky story about a beloved (and mischievous) raccoon—with information and photos of the real-life Rebecca in the back—is a wildly fun look at a surprising part of our nation’s history.
Reviews are coming in!
A fun piece of White House history as told by a furry, fun-loving, raccoon who was loved by all (mostly). President Calvin Coolidge really did have a raccoon sent to him for his Thanksgiving dinner in 1926 that he decided not to eat and then named Rebecca. She joined an eclectic menagerie of animals in the White House, including cats, dogs, lion cubs, wallaby, pygmy hippo, donkey, and black bear. The President and First Lady were animal lovers, and Rebecca, as she tells it, is the most beloved of them. Why else would she have her own tree house to be the queen of? Or her own specially embroidered collar? Lady Grace took her for walks on a leash, and the President cuddled her while sitting by the fire. Yes, everyone loved Rebecca. Just ask the staff who chased her and the bobcat through the house as they tore curtains and knocked over lamps and plants, or the lion cubs to whom she and the donkey told scary stories. Tucholke’s fun and casually informative text is all from Rebecca’s point of view, while Szalay’s illustrations show a fun and boisterous raccoon plus the rest of the story, including horrified staff, scared lion cubs, and chaos. The afterword gives more details about the “real-life menagerie at the White House.”
VERDICT No matter how Rebecca ended her days, the photographs of her at the White House bring history to young readers, making this a solid purchase for most libraries.
—School Library Journal
A White House trash panda (and deeply unreliable narrator) tells her life story at last.
According to the facts as we know them, in 1926 a live raccoon was sent to the White House to serve as President Calvin Coolidge’s Thanksgiving dinner. Animal lover that he was, he opted instead to adopt the wild creature, swiftly making her a darling of the general public. Now Rebecca the raccoon is here to give her side of the story. As Rebecca tells it, both Calvin and First Lady Grace added her to a household that included everything from a pygmy hippo to lion cubs. While the real Rebecca was deemed too wild for domesticated society and eventually sent to live in a zoo, the Rebecca on this page ultimately wins over everyone, human and otherwise, ending her book with the declarative statement, “You would have loved me, too.” Adeptly combining information and speculation, the book ends with a mention of the “real-life menagerie at the White House”; backmatter explains the factual elements that pepper Rebecca’s tale. Szalay’s art keeps the energy high, the humans on their toes, and Rebecca just as sweet as you’d want any young raccoon to be.
Federal banditry never looked so cute. A marvelous blend of fact, fiction, and fantastical imaginings.
—Kirkus Reviews
