Children's Book Review: Spike and Ike Take a Hike by S.D. Schindler

The story begins with the coati Ike and the hedgehog Spike traversing blossom-filled meadows, boulder-dotted cliffs, insect-laden bogs, and neatly-trimmed grasslands. In the wild, the interaction can be deemed unlikely:

• The coati -- not the hedgehog (Erinaceus spp) -- is native to the Americas.
• Coatis resist interacting with genera other than such arthropod-, fruit-, nectar-loving fellow ringtailed procyonids as kinkajous (Potos flavus) and olingos (Bassaricyon spp).

But in such wildland-urban interfaces as nature reserves and zoological parks, neither one is the other's predator or prey. The hedgehog in fact is related distantly to the shrew (Soricidae family), an introduced mammal of northern South America's Andes Mountains. Highland-dwelling coatis join in Andean habitats. Brown-nosed coatis occupy permanently forested areas. Mountain coatis prefer cloud-forest and páramo (alpine-tundra) zones below permanent snow lines.

During their walk, Ike and Spike encounter:

• A blue-footed booby bird (Sula nebouxii) and her "Awk!" squawking newborn;
• A bumblebee (Bombus spp);
• Frogs zapping insects;
• A giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and her calf;
• A kitty-cat.

Like coatis, boobies and bumblebees frequent higher elevations. Frogs and village kitty-cats also inhabit the Andes. But in the wild, coatis and native-born African giraffes never overlap. Their meeting in wildland-urban interfaces nevertheless seems probable since lowland-dwelling white-faced coatis flourish in giraffe-style grassland and savannah habitats.

The wildlife that Ike and Spike meet actually can serve as potential prey for coatis. Scientists consider coatis carnivores even though the reality is omnivores of opportunistic feedings. The coati is known to:

• Appreciate nectar, especially of balsa flowers (Ochroma pyramidale);
• Devour amphibians, bird eggs, and carrion;
• Divest insects of sharp or toxic body parts;
• Eat honey in captivity.

The hiking buddies ultimately enjoy picnicking with Ike's cousin Rosa. The notion is not improbable. Female and male coatis meet on the ground to eat loudly and socialize noisily.

University of Chicago Professor Norman Maclean (December 23, 1902 - August 2, 1990) advises understanding life's truths by fictionalizing characters and events. S.D. Schindler does just that.

My special thanks to:

• Talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the Internet;

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for superior on-campus and on-line resources.

Decker, D. M. (1991). "Systematics of The Coatis, Genus Nasua (Mammalia, Procyonidae)." Proceedings of The Biological Society of Washington 104: 370-386.

Maclean, N. (1976). A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press.

Schindler, S.D. (2013). Spike and Ike Take a Hike. New Y ork City NY : Nancy Paulsen Books Division of Penguin Young Readers Group.