Trash Animals
Celebrating our imperfections, with trash pandas, rebel raccoons, rescue pigeons, and more!
Move over Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub, there’s a new mammal in town. “Pumpkin the Raccoon” has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, “Starfish the Opossum” 130,000, and “Gizmo the Skunk” 35,000 and counting. Instead of shooing them away as pests, the Internet-savvy are welcoming these creatures—once seen as the weirdos, the jaded, the unloved. According to the New York Times, it has surpassed a zeitgeist phenomenon; it’s now a social movement. Move over cute, fluffy animals of yesteryear—this is the era of the eccentric outsider, the jaded rogue. Trash animals are making their way into the headlines … and into our hearts.
Featuring:
• Trash Animals—Who Are They? Meet and greet opossums, skunks, bats, raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, rats, badgers, and more
• In the News. Meet the Vermin-fluencers. We’re used to seeing them in the trash, but these days you’re more likely to see them in your Instagram feed. From profiles of Celebrity Vermin to Newsworthy Stunts like subway-riding pigeons and skunks performing handstands
• Discover Your Spirit Trash Animal Quiz
• Literary Animal Outsiders
• Wildlife Protectors
• Trash Animal Trading Cards
• Fun Facts
Full of charming full-color illustrations and plenty of mischief throughout, Trash Animals includes everything you could ever want to know about these lovable rogues!
Rachel Federman is a writer, musician, and nonprofit consultant who has written over 20 books for adults and children, including The Mindful Gardener (Clarkson Potter, 2017) and Test Your Dog’s IQ (HarperCollins, 2016). She once saw three mermaids in the fountain at Washington Square Park in New York City. No one seemed to know how they got there.
Clare Faulkner is a graphic designer and illustrator. She is the author and illustrator of The Cat Lover’s A to Z, The Dog Lover’s A to Z, and The Fashion Classics (2026) and is the illustrator of the bestselling ‘Animal philosophy’ series by Jennifer McCartney, including The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy.