That Pesky Rat - Lauren Child

WE were at our local library and my daughter spotted a book that she knew well as it had been read many times at her nursery. The said book - That Pesky Rat - is written by the excellent Lauren Child, whose books we always look out for ever since my daughters fell in love with her creations of Charlie and Lola. I didn't know this book but I was impressed to note on the front cover that it was the gold winner of the Smarties Book Prize in 2002! I have to confess that I am not the world's biggest rat fan, but having said that, the rat in this book is quite endearing, especially the way he tells his own story about how he would love to be someone's pet and also ...  Read the complete review

This is one of my daughterds favourite books, she's had it since she was two, when I would read it to her in bed, and she still loves reading it now she's six . It's written by Lauren Child, who is also the author of the popular Charlie and Lola series, and fans of Charlie and Lola will see some obvious similarities in the style of illustration, with pictures being a mixture of simple crayon drawings with some lovely collage effects - bits of wallpaper are utilised to make patterns, and even crisp packets and litter make an apperance . This blend of cartoonish sketches, big block colours and photographed collages makes every illustration eye catching end ...  Read the complete review

We just borrowed 'That Pesky Rat' from the library and have read it a few times now. Our eldest daughter (3 years old) is a huge Charlie and Lola fan and as this book is written by the same author, Lauren Child, we thought we'd give it a go! The story is all about a rat who lives on the streets in a bin. He has many friends who are proper pets with owners and he longs to be like them and be given a real name and to be pampered and spoilt like they are! But he knows that people don't really like him and call him 'that pesky rat'. The book goes through each of his animal friends as he describes how nice their lives are compared to his and each one has ...  Read the complete review