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Rock Paper Incisors

A Skunk and Badger Story

Contributors

By Amy Timberlake

Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Oct 14, 2025
Page Count
192 pages
ISBN-13
9781643750071

Price

$18.99

Shake off the hibernation blues with odd-couple friends Skunk and Badger in this funny and bestselling series, from Amy Timberlake and Jon Klassen!
 
Skunk and Badger have an easy roommate rhythm—Skunk cooks! Badger cleans!—until they take in two orphaned rat pups, Zeno and Zephyr. Badger is working on an Important Rock Work article for Rock Hound Weekly and needs focus, focus, focus to write it. How much trouble could two tiny rats really be? Some scheduling, a few strategically placed naps, and all will be well!

But it’s winter, and nothing goes to plan. Hibernation threatens every routine. Articles refuse to write themselves. And rats in the rock room? It will take a North Twist village to raise these rats!

Featuring cozy drawings and full-color pictures by bestselling artist Jon Klassen, Amy Timberlake’s delightfully off-kilter adventure explores the complexity of friendship and the meaning of family in a wintery world where chickens wear parkas and Yard Sheep host spaghetti dinners. And wait! Is that a dinosaur?

Don’t miss Skunk and Badger’s other adventures in:
Skunk and Badger
Egg Marks the Spot

  • "Timberlake’s character work shines as a variety of creatures pop in and out of the story and Skunk and Badger are pushed to their limits."
    Booklist
  • "Like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day."
     
    Kirkus Reviews
  • Praise for Skunk and Badger:

    People Best Book for Kids * Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book * Booklist Editor’s Choice * School Library Journal Best Book * Publishers Weekly Best Book * Shelf Awareness for Readers Best Book * New York Public Library Best Book * Chicago Public Library Best Book * Amazon Top 20 Best Children's Books * Indigo Best Book of the Year * Evanston Public Library Great Kids Book * 2021 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens Selection

    “Wordy fun, with laugh-out-loud dialogue…this book defies age grouping.”
    —The New York Times Book Review
     
    Praise for Egg Marks the Spot:
     
    A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book of 2021
    A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021

    * “Leaning heavily on its delightfully whimsical qualities, Book 2 of Timberlake and Klassen’s endearing series also boasts a whole lot of heart, perhaps even more so than its predecessor.”
    Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Amy Timberlake

Amy Timberlake

About the Author

Amy Timberlake’s award-winning books include One Came Home, winner of a Newbery Honor, and the Skunk and Badger series: Skunk and Badger, Egg Marks the Spot, and Rock Paper Incisors. She enjoys looking for rocks along the shores of Lake Michigan near her Chicago home. She invites you to visit her online at amytimberlake.com.
 
Jon Klassen is a Canadian-born author-illustrator. His books include I Want My Hat Back; This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal; We Found A Hat; and The Skull. Jon is also the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and The Dark by Lemony Snicket, among many others. He is a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to children's literature. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Find him online at imjonklassen.com.

Learn more about this author

Jon Klassen

About the Illustrator

Jon Klassen is a Canadian-born author-illustrator. His books include I Want My Hat Back; This Is Not My Hat, winner of the Caldecott Medal; We Found A Hat; and The Skull. Jon is also the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and The Dark by Lemony Snicket, among many others. He is a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to children’s literature. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Find him online at imjonklassen.com.

Learn more about this illustrator