Tabasco The Saucy Raccoon
At three weeks, Tabasco is a tiny, helpless ball of fluff. Already, the little raccoon’s life is unusual: tucked into Lyn’s pocket or tote bag, Tabasco accompanies Lyn on a cross-country tour, making friends every step of the way. By the time they get home, Tabasco is ready to explore the world—inch by exciting, fragrant, tactile inch. Nothing is safe from Tabasco’s clever paws. Dogs run and horses stand still when Tabasco comes to call. For some, the raccoon’s like her namesake: a little goes a long, long way. But children flock from all around to play with Lyn’s busy, talkative friend. Much as Lyn loves Tabasco, she knows that raccoons are wild creatures, not house pets. The story of Lyn Hancock’s search for a new, wild home for her beloved companion will melt your heart. Young and old alike will treasure the unforgettable tale of Tabasco, the saucy raccoon.
How Books Come To Be From The Idea To The Bookshelf
Invite me to give your group a live presentation if you want to know more.
People often ask me why I named my raccoon Tabasco?
Because at the time she came into my life, a lot of people were complaining about wild raccoons causing havoc in Vancouver by setting up their nests in roofs and attics. Tabasco’s mother set up her home in the wealthy suburb of Kitsilano.
A local radio station announced a contest – “How can we get rid of raccoons in Vancouver houses?” and the winner said, “Paint all the roofs of Vancouver houses with Tabasco sauce”.At that time, there were far fewer sauces available in Vancouver than today. So the name stuck! I wanted my raccoon to stick to me so I called her Tabasco and her book Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon..
Coincidentally, when Tabasco and I reached Montreal on our promotion tour and got our faces and stories on the front page of many newspapers, Mr. McIlhenny who makes Tabasco sauce on Avery Island in Louisiana, was visiting Montreal on business and he wrote me a letter asking if I named my raccoon after his sauce. “Yes,” I replied truthfully. Within days, a dozen bottles of Tabasco sauce were delivered to my door. A little goes a long way,
Some years later, I visited Mr. Milhenny’s home and office on Avery Island, Louisiana, where his family is famous for making Tabasco sauce but it is also famous for 250 acres of jungle gardens named the Garden of Eden. And even more. Mr. McIIhenny also banded more than 200,000 birds to study their migration patterns, preserved thousands of acres in Louisiana as wildlife refuges, and brought back from near extinction the snowy egret.
I was lucky to be invited to Avery Island to research a book I was writing on conservationists in North America titled Looking for the Wild. But I hadn’t yet met my raccoon Tabasco.
Listen to Lyn Hancock Read:
Chapter 1
Tabasco The Saucy Raccoon
