A Rat's Tale (Paperback)

by Tor Seidler (Author), Fred Marcellino (Illustrator) "In a sticky midsummer day, when the heat and humidity kept most of the creatures in Central Park from stirring, a young rat named Montague..." (more)
Key Phrases: mangy rat, eyedrop bottles, fellow rats, Uncle Moony, Aunt Elizabeth, Montague Mad-Rat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Beautifully told, Seidler's fantasy never falters; it's a love story, a coming of age tale and a grand adventure," praised PW in a boxed review. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6 This whimsical adventure tale with a moral underpinning introduces Montague Mad-Rat, a young rat living with artistic and absent-minded parents in the sewers beneath New York City. His sheltered life is changed when he finds that the huge population of his fellow rats occupying the abandoned piers at the waterfront are in danger of total extermination; the crisis makes him doubt his self-worth, even as he tries to cope with the further discovery that a drunken uncle of his has made their name a standing joke in the rat world. Little does he realize that the salvation of ratdom depends on his own unappreciated talents as well as the despised uncle. The gentle satire of the charming story casts familiar human foibles in rodent form (his potential girlfriend's pleasingly plump mother has taken up petal arranging to take her mind off cheese), and there are some poignant scenes. Although seemingly light entertainment, the novel tackles such topics as death, strength of character, and self-acceptance, and handles them well. The book is handsomely designed, with clean bordered pages of text and expressive illustrations in tones of gray to complement Seidler's well-delineated characters. Lyle Blake Smythers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374400318
• ISBN-13: 978-0374400316
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #614,768 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rat's Tale-bobfrankjoe, November 25, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Rat's Tale (Paperback)

A Rat's Tale is about a young rat named Montague Mad-Rat, or Monty. He lives a boring, solitary existence in the sewers of New York City. His family is almost considered a bunch of criminals, as they've broken almost every major rule of society, like making things with their own paws. Rats should scavenge for things they need, not make them. But nevertheless, his mother makes hats out of feathers, and his father makes sand castles. Neither of them have much time for him. He is very lonely and bored. The only things he has to do is gather feathers and berries for his mother's hats, and paint the seashells his aunt brings him. Then, one day, he meets the girl of his dreams! Her name is Isabella. She is the daughter of the governor of the rats, and she lives in old abandoned Wharf 62, where only the rats of the highest-class live. He can't stop thinking about her! Then he realizes that a rich, sophisticated girl like her could never love a sewer rat like him.
Meanwhile, the humans want to poison the wharves. The rats had stopped them every year by finding loose change and anonomysly offering it to the owner of the wharves. Every year they had collected $10,000. And every year, it had been enough. but this year it wasn't. So their leader (Isabella's Father) decides that they need to double the Rat-Rent (as they call it). But there's no way they can gather $20,000 worth of pennies, dimes and nickels! Then, Monty figures out a way to impress Isabella. He thought the shells his aunt had brought him might be of some value. After all, everyone said they were great. So he brings the shells to Isabella's father. He says they are great, but they need money, not shells. Dismayed, Monty tells Isabella's father to keep the shells. Isabella gets a90=hold of them, and at first she just hangs the shells on her bedroom wall. But then she has a great idea. her mother told her that Montague Mad-Rat (Monty's uncle whom he was named after) was infamous for doing the unthinkable--dealing with humans (it's like making things with your own paws). He, like Monty is also an artist. He decorates rings and sells them to an art dealer. Isabella decides to team up with him to sell the shells. She knows that dealing with humans is a huge disgrace, but she'll do anything to save her beloved wharves. Together, they are able to get $20,000!
Monty is hailed a hero! His little shells saved the wharves! Monty finally got everything he wanted. He saved the wharves, he's a hero, and Isabella finally likes him. Then the worst happens. What is that? You'll just have to read the book for yourself.
Monty significantly changes. He becomes much braver and he learns to do his best and try his hardest, even when things look hopeless.
This is a great book, and I recommend it to anyone age 9 and up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rat's Tale, April 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Rat's Tale (Paperback)

This book is practically about rat life in new york city. Well, sort of, if you think of RICH rats. Rats with umbrellas, and buses, and even hats. A world where Rats live like kings, and everybody appreciates everything they have no matter you be poor or rich. The story begins in central park of new york city where young Montague mad-rat is picking up birds feathers and berries for his mother's RAT/HAT shop. His mother sorts out colors of berries and puts theminto vats, later when they are pulps she puts a feather into the sticky mess and comes out with a beautifully colered hat, which she later fashions into a more reasonable form.
Back to the story, montague is doing his daily feather picking-up trip in Central Park when a storm hits. He is forced to flee for his life, or rather for the feathers sake, and rests under bush by the side of a road. Then he noticed a pack of rats standing by the side of the road. They were all carrying umbrellas! Now, since Montague lived under ground, he had never seen the like of these for rats before. but that didn't stop the wildness, for a bus stopped right in front of the rats, and they all jumped onto the bumper in the back. But before the bus had gone for than 10 feet, when a strong gust of wind blew accross the street, blowing one of the rats by the umbrella she was holding, and flies back to the bush that Montague was resting by.
He offered to take the girl home, and she accepted, claiming that he had a nose bleed even more than once. For in his rush to say something to her, he had smashed the berries all over his face.
And from this little stroll, forms the unexpected fate of all the rats in New York City.
A wonderful, warm tale, of art,love, and witty sayings. I would give 5 stars to [A Rat's Tale] and hope you will love it too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rat's Tale, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Rat's Tale (Paperback)

Opinion- A Rat's Tale is plain out great. It is very exciting with some laughs. Tor Siedler is fabulous and the illustrations are fantastic. Also it hass cool characters to relate to. A Rat's tale has an understandable concept and is one of the best books i have read.

Recomendations-I think people from 4th through 7th grade should read this book. I say that because children below 4th grade might not understand some vocabulary. I also recomend this to kids who like talking animals like in Stuart Little or Charlotte's Web.