by Elise Gravel (Author)
One in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Rat is a look at the black rat.
It covers such topics as the rat's long, agile tail (it's good for balancing and picking noses), long teeth (they can chew through anything, including books) and disgusting taste in food (delicious electrical wires in tomato sauce, anyone?).
Although silly and off-the-wall, The Rat contains factual information that will both amuse and teach at the same time.
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Gr 2-4--These easy-to-read titles aim to amuse and inform in tandem. A cartoon rat or slug provides silly commentary to accompany an array of factoids about its respective subjects' physical characteristics and life style. (While the narrator explains that rats are enamored of human foodstuffs and garbage, this protagonist requests "more delicious electrical wire in tomato sauce.") Rat reproduction is mentioned nowhere, and as for slugs, well, the information is ambiguous. Looking "to find a partner and have babies," this slug hero/heroine (being both) follows another slug's mucus trail and then "lays its eggs." The book fails to discuss contact between the slugs, which will surely result in many questions from young readers. Still, gently amusing and somewhat informative, these cartoon books will find a home in many a classroom library and will meet the basic needs for those children who dread nonfiction book reports.--Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.".... gently amusing and somewhat informative, these cartoon books will find a home in many a classroom library and will meet the basic needs for those children who dread nonfiction book reports." - School Library Journal
"Gravel .... has created a title with great kid appeal. Share with browsers or hand to beginning readers looking for something a little different for that animal report." - Booklist