Stay Away from Rat Boy!

April 1, 2009
K-Gr 2-Tyler is a bully who pushes ahead in line, steals lunches, and laughs at the misfortunes of others. No reason for this angry behavior is ever suggested. His punishment is to be sent to the Time-Out Chair, which happens to be close to the class pet's cage. Tyler begins to take an interest in Snowball the Rat, but meanwhile his aggressive behavior with the other children escalates. He has now dubbed himself "Rat Boy," which makes him feel even tougher as he chases the other children off the swings. His teacher makes one feeble attempt to discuss his behavior, but as "Rat Boy didn't want to talk. He liked to act tough," she seems to just let the matter drop. When Snowball disappears, the child is devastated. No one will help in the search, but when the animal is discovered in a storage closet, a child he had previously terrorized offers to assist him-and Rat Boy is almost instantly reformed. As in several other books about bullying, including Audrey Penn's "Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully" (Tanglewood Press, 2008), the onus seems to be on the victim to rectify the situation, without any assistance from ineffectual teachers. Hansen's computer-generated art features muddy greens and dark blues that lend the book a depressing air."Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Preschool-G Tyler is mean, and all the other kids at school are afraid of him. He pushesto thefront of the line, jeers at his classmates, and shuts out anyone who tries to connect with him. Then one day in the time-out chair at the back of the classoom, he bonds with the class pet rat, Snowball. Of course, though, he doesn't want to let the kids see his gentle side that comes out when he plays with Snowball, and he creates a tough, new nickname for himself: Rat Boy! The exaggerated, brightly colored computer-generatedpicturesshow his standoffs with the other students, in which he is depicted as solitary and scowling with hisarms folded, and then in contrasting pictures with Snowball scurrying up his arms with her soft, tickly feet. Then Snowball is lost, and classmate Jos' helps find Tylers beloved pet. The last spread shows the boysforming a friendshipas they talk about getting a companion for Snowball. Both lively and sensitive, Lears' story humanizes a bully, without saccharine messages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)