Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph [Hardcover]

Jack Gantos (Author), Nicole Rubel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Rotten Ralph

Ralph outdoes himself again in this picture book of wedding bliss and bedlam.

It's Aunt Martha's wedding day and Sarah is the flower girl, but Ralph is determined to turn this celebration into an event only our favorite rotten cat could enjoy. He begins by wrapping the wedding gift with that special Ralph flair, then selecting some choice "petals" for Sarah to spread over the guests. After a riotous ceremony, he tops the day by wreaking havoc at the reception.

"Oh, Ralph you were so rotten," bemoans Sarah. Is there anything that cat will do to make her happy? You'll be surprised...

"'I bet I know who did that'", Sarah said to herself. She peeked under the table and saw Ralph eating a monster slice of cake.

Sarah's the flower girl at Aunt Martha's wedding, and Ralph is ready to tie all kinds of knots--but are they the kind that will make for marital bliss? If they involve a red cat, a monster truck, and paws full of snails, you can guess the answer. The question to be popped is: After a day of nuptial sabotage, can Ralph still make Sarah smile? Once again, Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel manage to bring equal measures of love and nastiness to Sarah's special cat.

00 Children's Choices (IRA/CBC)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3Ralph has long been a source of irritation for long-suffering Sarah, who loves him despite his past wrongs. This latest entry to the popular series is no exception. Sarah is looking forward to being a flower girl in Aunt Marthas wedding, and the ever-rascally Ralph tries to foil her at every turn. Instead of fresh rose petals, he puts slugs and toads into Sarahs basket. He destroys her gift to the bride, causes chaos in the church, and wreaks havoc at the reception. Well, you get the idea. In the end, of course, Sarah loves him after all. Rubels vivid illustrations give the feline his usual sly, slit-eyed, winking wickedness while portraying the wedding with loads of energy and motion. As similar as it is to many of the other entries, this latest title is sure to be a hit with fans of the series.Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Wow, is this cat rotten! What should be the happiest day for a bride and groom becomes a three-ring disaster when Ralph gets in the picture. Sarah, his owner, is a flower girl, so Ralph puts worms and snails in her basket, he ruins every picture at the ceremony, and he gets the bride to kiss a mouse instead of the groom. Adults, who have sentimental notions about weddings, will probably feel sorry for the wedding party, and even some children may have a few qualms about Ralph's antics; but for his legion of fans, this is about what one would expect. Rubel's jam-packed, slyly amusing artwork captures all the devilry. Bright as the almost Day-Glo watercolors are, kids' eyes will always be drawn to the red cat up to his old tricks. Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Stated First Edition/loose Cover edition (April 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060275332
• ISBN-13: 978-0060275334
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,940 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

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Rotten Ralph story!, May 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph (Hardcover)

I also loved this book - in fact, I am giving it to both the flower girl and the ring bearer for my wedding this summer! I am not worried that they will emulate Rotten Ralph's behavior - kids know that Ralph does bad things. The books are funny because they are too outragous to be real!

5.0 out of 5 stars Rotten Ralph Takes The Cake, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph (Library Binding)

I was quite upset for Ralph's sake when I read such an unfavorable review of this hilarious book that had been previously posted. I am 26, work in the childrens, section of our local library, and I am in charge of our story hours, and I love Rotten Ralph! I have ordered just about every Ralph book for our library. I wish that the library would have had these books in stock when I was a child because I would have been encouraged to read beacause they are nothing but pure fun! Sadly, our library never had them due to the bleeding heart goodie goodie mentality of librarians from ages past. I find that the children DO NOT copy Ralph's behavior and actions but they simply laugh along with them and have a good time. Reading should be fun, remember? We have far too many sickly-sweet moral filled books with quaint illustrations collecting dust on our library shelves that NO CHILD ever reads. We can't keep a Rotten Ralph in stock. Let children read what they enjoy! Personally, I can't wait to see what Rotten Ralph's latest adventure will be. I wish Ralph was at the last wedding I attended beacuse it certainly would have been much more fun! Don't let those goody-goody people get you down Ralph!

5.0 out of 5 stars Rotten Ralph Takes The Cake, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wedding Bells for Rotten Ralph (Library Binding)

I was quite upset for Ralph's sake when I read such an unfavorable review of this hilarious book that had been previously posted. I am 26, work in the childrens' section of our local library, and I am in charge of our story hours, and I love Rotten Ralph! I have ordered just about every Ralph book for our library. I wish that the library would have had these books in stock when I was a child because I would have been encouraged to read beacause they are nothing but pure fun! Sadly, our library never had them due to the bleeding heart goodie goodie mentality of librarians from ages past. I find that the children DO NOT copy Ralph's behavior and actions but they simply laugh along with them and have a good time. Reading should be fun, remember? We have far too many sickly-sweet moral filled books with quaint illustrations collecting dust on our library shelves that NO CHILD ever reads. We can't keep a Rotten Ralph in stock. Let children read what they enjoy! Personally, I can't wait to see what Rotten Ralph's latest adventure will be. I wish Ralph was at the last wedding I attended beacuse it certainly would have been much more fun! Don't let those goody-goody people get you down Ralph!