You might say this was a story of Jerome Kildee who built his home against a giant redwood tree, of Emmy Lou Eppy, who lived down the mountain and shared Jerome's housing problem, of Donald Roger and his dog Strong Heart, whose feud with Emmy Lou upset the tranquility of the redwoods.

But, really, this is the story of Old Grouch, the raccoon, who had refused to move out of his house in the redwood tree, of his bride who came to look and remained to stay, and the spotted skunks who set up housekeeping under Jerome's floor. It was the animals who were responsible for the housing problem and for the feud. While the feud flourished, so did the animals, and the story of how the housing problem in KILDEE HOUSE was settled to the satisfaction of everyone, including Old Grouch, is told in one of the most amusing and original animal stories in years.

Rutherford Montgomery, the author of KILDEE House, lives in the redwood country and knows the animals he writes about, and Barbara Cooney, the illustrator, has caught his sly humor in her pictures.

From the dust jacket