Little Rat Sets Sail - Hardcover

Bang-Campbell, Monika

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152162976 ISBN 13: 9780152162979

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 2002

Synopsis

Sailing lessons are difficult to Little Rat since she is so afraid of the water, yet with the help and reassurance of her kind instructor, Little Rat is able to overcome her fears and discovers that she is braver than she ever imagined.

About this title

About the Author

MONIKA BANG-CAMPBELL makes her picture book debut with Little Rat Sets Sail. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

MOLLY BANG has written and illustrated more than twenty books, including three Caldecott Honor winners: When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry . . .; Ten, Nine, Eight, and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. She lives close to the ocean in Massachusetts.

Reviews

Grade 1-3-In this easy-reader chapter book, Little Rat doesn't want to take the sailing lessons that her parents have signed her up for because she's afraid of the water. However, after a series of small accomplishments, she learns to enjoy the sport, and realizes that she is braver than she thought. Bang's expressive, richly colored mixed-media illustrations of Little Rat facing each challenge are charming and sweet and feature some interesting perspectives, and the little protagonist is so determined not to let fear stand in her way that she herself is quite compelling. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stiff and unnatural.
Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This mother-daughter team presents a chipper early chapter book starring a likable young rodent whose parents sign her up for sailing lessons. Little Rat is hardly happy about this: "She was scared of the water./ She was scared of falling in./ She was scared of falling in/ even with her life jacket on." From the start, an ill wind blows; her life jacket is a different style from everyone else's, she is terrified of sailing solo in the prams that look like bathtubs ("how could a bathtub possibly float?") and she knows that in the dark ocean lurk jellyfish, slimy eels and "big icky blobs of seaweed." Little Rat's amiable instructor, Buzzy Bear, comes to her rescue, inviting her to sail with him in a larger boat while he teaches her sailing terms and tactics. Readers learn right along with her, and a carefully labeled sailboat helps aspiring sailors get their bearings. Predictably, the more the heroine learns, the less she fears, and on the last day of sailing class the diminutive sailor proclaims herself "a brave Little Rat" who just might sail solo next summer. Buoyant and brightly hued, Caldecott Honor artist Bang's (When Sophie Gets Angry Really, Really Angry) pictures subtly convey the growing confidence of this endearing heroine. A breezy junket for aspiring skippers and confirmed landlubbers alike. Ages 6-9.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2-3. This beginning chapter book illustrated by Molly Bang and written by her daughter introduces Little Rat as she learns to sail. Though afraid of the water, Little Rat does well at sailing school, and she somehow manages to absorb the sailing life that surrounds her, which is reflected in the paintings on the walls of her house and in scenes of the seaside environment in which she lives. Buzzy Bear, Little Rat's instructor, lets her sail with him, which comforts her and allows her to acclimate at her own speed. Little Rat doesn't look like the traditional protagonist , but she definitely exemplifies bravery. Bang's illustrations, in pencil, gouache, and watercolor (with some charcoal and chalk dust), often depict Little Rat as a tiny soul in a big, big world, which emphasizes the spirit of the character. The sailing terminology adds credibility to the story. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152162976
• ISBN 13: 9780152162979
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bang Molly
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48