 Ruby Raccoon How Ruby Raccoon Became Sir Laughs-A-Lot By Stormy Davis He was born the last of five little ones. He was the runt of the litter. Something was different about him. He was spotted with ruby-red patches on his body. His brothers and sister were all named at birth. But because of his oddness, his parents had trouble naming him. Besides, he was so small, they didn't think he would survive. He did survive. Therefore, he needed to be named. Suddenly, his father remembered how Mrs. Raccoon, during her pregnancy, had a tremendous craving for ruby-red beets. Normally, raccoons would prefer seafood. "That," he said, "explains the colorful patches my little runt was born with." So, they decided to name him Ruby. Ruby struggled to grow. He faced many problems. He was always last at feeding time. Finally, because of his weakness, Ruby got an ear infection. He lost hearing in one ear. Not only was he the underfed runt now, but communicating became a problem. Therefore, Ruby started to isolate himself. He found himself drifting away from his family. |