Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance - Hardcover

Gantos, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395739780 ISBN 13: 9780395739785

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1997

Synopsis

Rotten Ralph dreads Petunia's secret valentine party, but Sarah dresses him up as Cupid and insists that Ralph be nice. Once again Ralph wreaks havoc, and chaos reigns. Will this be the last straw for Sarah?

About this title

About the Author

Author and illustrator Nicole Rubel has a degree in fine arts from the Boston Museum School and has taught ceramics, silk screening, and mural design to children. Booklist has described her artwork as "busy, brightly colored paintings, done in child appealing primitive style, filled with subtle, humorous touches." Ms. Rubel lives in West Linn, Oregon, with her husband and parrot.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 2. Ralph is up to his usual rotten antics in this funny Valentine's Day story. The naughty cat's fans will not be surprised by his aversion to this holiday with its "sticky, gooey, wet, drippy kisses." Nor will they be surprised that Ralph's idea of proactive self-defense is to rub smelly garbage all over his fur. Even garbage cannot protect him from the fate he brings upon himself, however. His doting and tolerant owner dresses him as Cupid for a Valentine party. Sara warns him repeatedly that anyone he hits with his "love arrows" will want to kiss him, but Ralph cannot resist hurling them about, with the result that all of the guests embrace him, tickle him, and call him "pretty kitty." He manages to avoid kissing the hostess good-bye by rubbing dog food on his lips. Valentine's Day, with its colored hearts and decorations, lends itself well to Rubel's garishly charming illustrations. Another sure winner in the series.?Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In his Valentine-themed eighth adventure, misbehaving cat Rotten Ralph remains rude and remorseless. Worried that a Valentine's Day party "means sticky, gooey, wet, drippy kisses," Ralph does his best to be unappealing; to prepare for the event, he perfumes his red fur with garbage and mashes a "stink bug" in the frilly "secret valentine" card he is told to bring. Although his stalwart friend Sarah dresses him as Cupid, he refuses to act the part-until he resentfully flings his love arrows and hits all the partygoers. "Suddenly everyone wanted to kiss Ralph.... They called him cutey pie and pretty kitty and lovebug. Rotten Ralph groaned. He wanted to go home." The wildly colorful illustrations, loaded with comic details, busy with floral motifs and tiny hearts, gleefully convey the sentimentality Ralph despises and his vain attempts to avoid it. Cynics will adore Ralph's gross idea of a gift (a chocolate sampler overrun by ants) and his kiss-proof dog-food-smeared lips. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Clifford the Big Red Dog's feline evil twin confronts his worst nightmare: Valentine's Day. Anxious to avoid even the barest hint of propriety, His Rottenness counters the halo, wings, and little bow Sarah bestows upon him by smearing himself with garbage, squashing a stink bug in his valentine, breaking all the candy hearts at a party, and grossing out the host, Petunia, by rubbing dog food on his lips. Sarah, blindly adoring as ever, takes him home for a bath and a hug. Rubel's boldly colored and crisply drawn figures, in domestic scenes scattered with toys and memorabilia, reflect the story's in-your-face directness with wide gestures and unsubtle expressions. It's Ralph's eighth episode--and as Sarah's unrelenting forgiveness grows increasingly incomprehensible, the formula is starting to wear thin. (Picture book. 4-6) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 4^-6. No question about it, Rotten Ralph is still rotten and causing genial Sarah all kinds of trouble. Going to Petunia's Valentine's Day party is about the last thing Rotten Ralph wants to do. He has no desire for "drippy" kisses or sweet sentiments, and just to make sure he's left alone at the gathering, he rubs himself with stinky garbage, stuffs a stinkbug in the valentine Sarah has made for him, and is his generally not-nice self. As usual, rebellious Ralph is certain to raise a few eyebrows among grown-ups. But like all the books in the series, this one allows children the vicarious thrill of being unabashedly naughty. At the same time it provides assurance that even in the face of bad behavior, they'll still be loved--something definitely worth talking about. As usual, Rubel's naive-style illustrations burst with color and pattern and invest the obstreperous red cat with more than enough personality to make him memorable. Stephanie Zvirin

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0395739780
• ISBN 13: 9780395739785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Rubel Nicole
• Number of pages: 30