Rotten Ralph's Rotten Family

January 15, 2014
Just how did Rotten Ralph get so rotten? Poor, beleaguered Sarah is at her wits' end with her beloved Rotten Ralph when she cannot find a catsitter willing to care for him. Ralph, chagrined and not a little defensive, takes a trip down Memory Lane via a photo album documenting his time as a kitten with his feline family. Convinced that he sees no evidence of rottenness there (though readers may think otherwise if they examine Rubel's illustrations), he heads back to the family farm to discover how he ended up so rotten. Once there, hilarity ensues as his family (with the exception of his mother) reveals that they weren't hapless victims in his photographed hijinks. "Did you find out why you are so rotten?" Ralph's mother asks him before he gratefully heads home to Sarah. "Yes," he responds. "Because everyone was so rotten to me." Poor Ralph returns to Sarah a reformed cat and proceeds to clean his room, tidy the house and prepare her a fancy breakfast in bed. However, fans of Ralph's rotten ways needn't be concerned about this apparent transformation, as a closing line asserts that he's grateful not for some internal change, but for the knowledge that Sarah loves him enough that he can do whatever he wants. Rot on, Ralph! (Early reader. 6-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Ralph's fans will welcome this new addition, though the adventure rolls out in the usual way and predictably ends with the naughty feline showing a momentary display of sweetness. In this episode, Sarah has to decline a party invitation because she can't find a single cat sitter in town willing to spend time with Ralph. His reputation has impacted his best friend's life, and she sends him to his room, demanding that he change his ways. Ralph waxes nostalgic about the good old days when he lived with his own cat family. But a visit to the family farm reveals relatives just as rotten as he is and reinforces the fact that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Some readers may be perplexed by the difference between Ralph's vividly depicted childhood memories and reality. The transformation makes sense only if one assumes that the pictures in Ralph's mind are candy-coated, and this recognition may prompt some meaningful discussions about human behavior and also serve as a lesson in inference. Rubel's signature cartoon illustrations contain all the humor one could want in this latest chapter book about the incorrigible yet charismatic cat.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades 1-3 Sarah, disgusted after every cat sitter in town refuses to stay with Rotten Ralph, asks him why he's so rotten. Ralph wonders too. He misses his doting mother and decides to return to his family, but after he arrives, all his other relatives play mean tricks on him. Mystery solved! There's plenty to enjoy in this droll, satisfying story, from Ralph's zany kitten/baby pictures to the unnerving scenes of a reformed Ralph cleaning up his act and his room ( he even cleaned the fish tank without eating the fish ). Expressive, wildly colorful illustrations amplify the humor. Another winner in the Rotten Ralph Rotten Readers series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)