Absolutely loved this book! As you’re reading you easily fall in love with the story line ( a squirrel that through a series of unfortunate events, ends up living with rats!), but as a teacher I quickly began to see that this story is actually a metaphor for acceptance and diversity. This will be a featured read aloud in my classroom.

Loved the adventure and the overall message! Great for a young audience. The illustrations were very nice.

Seidler's book is a wonderful journey into the friendship between a squirrel and two wharf rats. Middle grade readers will love this vivid tale.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Oh. Rats!
An adorable and beautifully illustrated book!

Book Review: Oh Rats!
July 22, 2019
Oh, Rats!

is the charming tale of Phoenix the squirrel and his unlikely friendship with a colony of rats.
Phoenix was getting along just fine in his rural New Jersey home surrounded by friends and family. He had his own nest, a nice stash of food, and even the admiration of the prettiest squirrel, Giselle. That is, until a bird of prey swept him up to be a snack for his babies. Fearing the worst, Phoenix tried to talk is way out of being eaten, but he experienced a stroke of luck when the red tailed hawk dropped him to avoid a collision. Phoenix landed in a Manhattan construction site, worse for the wear. With the help of a pigeon, he found his way to the river where he was discovered by two young wharf rats, Lucy and Beckett. They pulled him ashore and nursed him back to health, with the help of Ms. P, the colony’s wise old rat. When they discover their pier is scheduled for demolition, the rats and Phoenix use their special skills to convince the humans to leave their pier in tact. It is action packed and full of excitement, with an ending that is both sweet and satisfying.

Tor Seidler did a fantastic job creating the world of rodents. Every little detail was thought out and he makes the rats and their situation seem plausible . All the human colloquiums slightly altered to be applicable to rats were cute, and I liked how even the most dislikable characters had their chance to come around and prove themselves in the end.

The cover art for this book by illustrator Gabriel Evans is adorable. Pleasingly simple and fresh, I am certain it will catch the attention of elementary students. Also a positive, there are black and white illustrations scattered throughout the book. I loved the simple style that still left plenty of room for imagination of the young reader.

Overall, I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and I have full confidence that upper elementary students will feel the same way.

(THIS SECTION IS NOT IN MY GOODREADS REVIEW, BUT IS INCLUDED ON MY BLOG)

Teachable Moments:

This book is ripe with opportunities to teach inference, especially in the beginning of the book. Many human situations are described through the eyes of an unknowing squirrel. Students will easily be able to identify clues and draw an inference from the information available.

The level of vocabulary in this book seems high, given it is a book about talking rodents. However, as a read aloud with some scaffolding and discussion, I believe 3rd or 4th grade students would thoroughly enjoy this book. It reminds me a bit of Mr. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, which was always a hit in my 4th grade classroom.

Visualization is another skill that could be easily taught. In the scene where we first hear about Ms. P's crates, the description is both extensive and interesting. Students could spend time imagining and then drawing what they visualize when reading those pages.