The Rats' Daughter

Cook, Joel

ISBN 10: 1563971402 ISBN 13: 9781563971402

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 1993

Synopsis

Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Doting Mother rat believes that her lovely and talented daughter must marry none but the best. She convinces her husband, and together they present their child to the sun, who declines the proposal , saying that the cloud is more powerful. Cloud , in turn, defers to the wind, who informs them that the wall is even stronger. At this, the charming daughter reminds them that a rat can destroy a wall. And so, all ends well with a rat groom and a wedding blessed by all. The story is based on Lang's "The Husband of the Rat's Daughter," from the Brown Fairy Book (Dover, 1965). The theme of the smallest being strongest is found in numerous other stories , including McDermott's Stonecutter (Puffin, 1978) and Ginsburg's Strongest One of All (Greenwillow, 1977; o.p.). The text here is simple, with a liberal sprinkling of tongue-in-cheek humor that children will enjoy. The illustrations are delicate drawings done in colored pencil. Humorous, exaggerated postures of the rats standing upright depict their arrogance and distinct personalities. An additional purchase for libraries wanting yet another book on this theme. --Alexandra Marris, Rochester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

A popular narrative tradition holds that ambitious parents seek only the best possible mate for their offspring. According to Cook, rats are not excluded from this tendency, especially those from "old and noble families," whose daughter, in this case, "was the loveliest of rat girls." This heroine's mother, determined that her daughter not wed "a mere rat," visits--with her recalcitrant husband--the sun, the clouds and the wind as possible husbands. In the end, however, the girl's protests and the wisdom of a self-effacing wooden wall lead to the inevitable happy ending. This cautionary story, drawn primarily from The Brown Fairy Book (and traceable to an old Japanese folktale) is here given a frolicsome twist, as Cook seasons his rendition with hearty doses of humor and a layer of gentle mockery. But it is the illustrations, ranging from the whimsical (a tea party of dowager rats discuss marital possibilities) to the opulent (the sun's "golden palace," a rococo facade complete with dragon guardians), that take center stage. In his pictures' coloration, composition and dramatic sensibility, Cook's theatrical background shines through. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 1563971402
• ISBN 13: 9781563971402
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32