Happy Birthday, Rotten Ralph Book & Cassette (Carry Along Book & Cassette Favorites) [Paperback]

Jack Gantos (Author), Nicole Rubel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2001 | Series: Carry Along Book & Cassette Favorites

Believe it or not, Rotten Ralph turns 25 this spring. During that quarter century, he has entertained many young children with his shenanigans, which are more often than not rather naughty. Young readers and listeners will delight in helping Ralph celebrate his birthday in this all-new recording of Happy Birthday, Rotten Ralph, read by author Jack Gantos, who brings Ralph to life with this lively reading. This resealable package comes with a paperback and a two-sided cassette tape. The audio production includes lively sound effects and original music. Side one includes page-turn signals; side two features an uninterrupted reading.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Spring has sprung with a bouquet of book-and-cassette titles. Despite his rotten behavior, Ralph the cantankerous red cat is feted by his owner, Sarah, in Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph by Jack Gantos, illus. by Nicole Rubel. The lively story, read by the author, features rambunctious background music, "meow" page-turn signals and the plastic case with handle familiar to fans of the Houghton Mifflin Carry-Along Book and Cassette Favorites series.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Jack Gantos' badly-behaved cat returns in Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph (HM, 1990). It's Ralph's birthday, but will his latest pranks cost him the party that was planned? Of course not. Rotten Ralph can get away with anything, because he is loved, even when his behavior is-well, rotten. Jack Gantos reads with expression, while lively background music plays. Readers can follow along, enjoying Nicole Rubel's busy, colorful illustrations. One side of the tape contains no signals, while the other uses a cat's meow to encourage readers to turn the page. Audio quality is excellent. This will be a hit with those who love Rotten Ralph.

Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Pap/Cas edition (April 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618125396
• ISBN-13: 978-0618125395
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,692,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Gantos has written novels for adults, young adults, and middle grade readers, as well as over twenty books for primary readers, including twelve titles chronicling the misadventures of Rotten Ralph. He lives in Santa Fe, NM.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A lesson in ineffective parenting, January 22, 2005

By 

a reader (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Birthday Rotten Ralph (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

This is one of the most awful books I have ever read! Rotten Ralph is a cat. He does a long list of awful things, like putting toothpaste into his mistress's slippers. She keeps threatening to cancel his birthday party because he's been so bad. But she never follows through and cancels it -- he just keeps doing bad things, and she just keeps on threatening the same threat but not following through. At one point Ralph thinks that she really did cancel the birthday party and he is sad about it. But then it turns out that there's a surprise birthday party for him after all. His mistress says, "You know I love you too much to cancel your birthday party." It is such an exercise in ineffective parenting that it really makes me cringe. One of the basic rules of discipline is that you should only ever threaten consequences that you are willing to follow through on, and then if the child earns the consequence, you need to follow through on what you said you'd do, preferably swiftly, and preferably not after a bunch of bad behavior and endless threats. It felt to me like Rotten Ralph's mistress had really created a climate where Ralph could continually behave badly, where he knew he didn't have to listen to what she asked, where he came to think of himself as a Rotten cat who does lots of Rotten things.

So this book is not my pick for great children's literature.