To Sterling North’s daughter Arielle Olson and Edgerton resident Walter Diedrick who have each helped to keep Sterling North’s memory alive
Contents 1 Sterling North and His Four-Legged Pal 1 2 The North Family Tree 4 3 Giving Words to Nature’s Wonders 8 4 An Accident Waiting to Happen 12 5 No More Hyacinths 18 6 Rascal to the Rescue 33 7 Best Friends at the Fair 44 8 Freedom and Captivity 51 9 The Flu Pandemic Hits Home 57 10 Cheers and Tears 64 11 Unexpected Growing Pains 70 12 Chicago Here I Come 81 13 Remembering Rascal 86 14 Sterling North’s Legacy 95 Appendix Sterling North’s Time Line 102 Glossary 104 Reading Group Guide and Activities 110 To Learn More about Sterling North’s Work 112 Acknowledgments 114 Index 115 vii
I N O S L O E E C N E R A L C Y B H P A R G O T O H P S E V H C R A H T R O N E H T F O Y S E T R U O C
1 Sterling North and His Four-Legged Pal When Sterling North was 11 years old he had no idea that his adventures with a most unusual pet would someday make him famous Sterling grew up in the small town of Edgerton Wisconsin in the early 1900s Many kids in Edgerton had pet dogs or cats Some had pet goldfish or birds like canaries But Sterling’s pet was different Sterling’s pet did not come from a pet store His name was Rascal and he was a furry ring-tailed raccoon Sterling plucked Rascal from a burrow in the ground after 1 Sterling North at 10 years old I S E V H C R A H T R O N E H T F O Y S E T R U O C
