For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a stray baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.