That Pesky Rat - Hardcover

Child, Lauren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076361873X ISBN 13: 9780763618735

Publisher: Candlewick, 2002

Synopsis

The creator of Clarice Bean has conjured up a clever alley critter so appealing—and so hilarious—that young readers will be begging to take him home.

Sometimes . . . I look up at all the cozy windows and wonder what it would be like to live with creature comforts . . . to be a real pet. Most of all I would like to have a name, instead of just that pesky rat.

A glamorous life in the lap of luxury like Pierre the chinchilla would be
very nice. But really, our hero’s not that fussy - he just wants to belong to somebody. With his cute, pointy brown face and beady eyes, why can’t he get someone to take him home? Even a notice posted at the local pet store seems fruitless, until one day a nearsighted old man stops in and speaks the amazing words: "I’ll take him." After all, he says, he’s been looking for ages for a brown cat as nice as this.

In her latest tour de force, acclaimed author-illustrator Lauren Child introduces a surprisingly endearing character, and assures young readers there’s enough love for all of us.

About this title

Review:

Lauren Child, creator of the popular Clarice Bean books, lavishes her zany, ultramodern, mixed-media attentions on the animal kingdom in That Pesky Rat. This brown street rat lives in a trash can in Grubby Alley, longing to be someone's pet. He knows plenty of animals who are pets. Pierre, a chinchilla, lives in the lap of luxury with Madame Fifi who feeds him chocolates. Nibbles, a lop-eared rabbit, works in a circus with Mr. Hoopla. (With all the trapezes and such, she may have a life that's "a little too nerve-wracking," but at least she has a name other than that pesky rat.) Miss St. Clair does puzzles with her Scottie dog, Andrew, and makes him wear a little hat and coat. "I don't think clothes would suit me," says our rat. "But I would do anything to be somebody's pet." One day, the rat takes the matter into his own paws and posts a notice in Mrs. Trill's pet store: "Brown rat looking for a kindly owner with an interest in cheese." Fortunately, the myopic Mr. Fortesque thinks he is a cat, and of course, no one corrects him. They live happily ever after, Mr. Fortesque and... Tiddles. Child's funky, clashing-pattern collages complement this sweetly earnest story of a creature who wants to love and be loved, even if it means having to wear a little sweater. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

About the Author:

Lauren Child is the author of three award-winning books about the irrepressible Clarice Bean and two books about siblings Lola and Charlie. Of this book she says, "I got the idea for THAT PESKY RAT when for several months, I was without a fixed address, so I house-sat, watered plants, fed cats, and slept on friends’ floors. I found myself longing for a place of my own and couldn’t help gazing into people’s windows, thinking how cozy their homes looked, longing to be somewhere that feels like home."

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 076361873X
• ISBN 13: 9780763618735
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Child Lauren