"The Tail of the Raccoon: Secrets of Addiction" is a scientific short story set in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. The story follows the adventures of a raccoon, called Sign Tracker, and other inhabitants of the Great Forest. What is unique about the story is that the adventures of the raccoon are based on scientific studies of the hidden and overlooked causes of drug addiction. As noted in the Educational and Scientific Commentaries that are included with the story, sign-tracking is a well-established scientific phenomenon which speaks to the remarkable power of reward cues to control and direct behavior. This story is designed to appeal to all ages. Children are charmed by the antics of the raccoon, while, at the same time, they learn how actions can become disconnected from intention. For college students and adults, reading the story is nostalgic of a more innocent time, and yet, the storyline clearly delivers a message about the underlying causes of drug addiction.

"The Tail of the Raccoon: Secrets of Addiction" is a scientific short story set in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. The story follows the adventures of a raccoon, called Sign Tracker, and other inhabitants of the Great Forest. What is unique about the story is that the adventures of the raccoon are based on scientific studies of the hidden and overlooked causes of drug addiction. As noted in the Educational and Scientific Commentaries that are included with the story, sign-tracking is a well-established scientific phenomenon which speaks to the remarkable power of reward cues to control and direct behavior. This story is designed to appeal to all ages. Children are charmed by the antics of the raccoon, while, at the same time, they learn that actions can become disconnected from intention. For college students and adults, reading the story is nostalgic of a more innocent time, and yet, the storyline clearly delivers a message about the underlying causes of drug addiction.

"The Tail of the Raccoon, Part II: Touching the Invisible (Illustrated)" is the full-illustrated version of the second story of The Sign Tracker Trilogy. This story follows the adventures of a raccoon family living in the Eastern Woodlands and depicts the early stages of the drug addiction process. Lepus, the youngest son of the raccoon character, Sign Tracker, is offered an extremely rewarding but venomous potion in a vial spun of silk. Lepus enjoys the potion's intoxicating effects and his raccoon mind becomes preoccupied with getting his paws on more. In the presence of the vial, Lepus is powerless to restrain himself. Descending into the abyss of excessive drug use, his health deteriorates, he loses his free-will, and the rings on his tail fade away.

"The Tail of the Raccoon, Part II: Touching the Invisible" is the second story of The Sign Tracker Trilogy. This story follows the adventures of a raccoon family living in the Eastern Woodlands and depicts the early stages of the drug addiction process. Lepus, the youngest son of the raccoon character, Sign Tracker, is offered an extremely rewarding but venomous potion in a vial spun of silk. Lepus enjoys the potion's intoxicating effects and his raccoon mind becomes preoccupied with getting his paws on more. In the presence of the vial, Lepus is powerless to restrain himself. Descending into the abyss of excessive drug use, his health deteriorates, he loses his free-will, and the rings on his tail fade away. Included with the story are Educational and Scientific Commentaries that explain how the development of Sign-Tracking transitions casual drug use into drug abuse.

Masked bandits of the night, raiders of farm crops and rubbish bins, raccoons are notorious for their indifference to human property and propriety. Yet they are also admired for their intelligence, dexterity, and determination. Raccoons have thoroughly adapted to human-dominated environments—they are thriving in numbers greater than at any point of their evolutionary history, including in new habitats. Raccoon surveys the natural and cultural history of this opportunistic omnivore, tracing its biological evolution, social significance, and image in a range of media and political contexts. From intergalactic misanthropes and despoilers of ancient temples to coveted hunting quarry, unpredictable pet, and symbols of wilderness and racist stereotype alike, Raccoon offers a lively consideration of this misunderstood outlaw species.