That Pesky Rat
Lauren Child, creator of the popular Clarice Bean books, lavishes her  zany, ultramodern, mixed-media attentions on the animal kingdom inThat Pesky  Rat. This brown street rat lives in a trash can in Grubby Alley, longing to  be someone's pet. He knows plenty of animals who are pets. Pierre, a chinchilla,  lives in the lap of luxury with Madame Fifi who feeds him chocolates. Nibbles, a  lop-eared rabbit, works in a circus with Mr. Hoopla. (With all the trapezes and  such, she may have a life that's "a little too nerve-wracking," but at least she  has a name other thanthat pesky rat.) Miss St. Clair does puzzles with  her Scottie dog, Andrew, and makes him wear a little hat and coat. "I don't  think clothes would suit me," says our rat. "But I would do anything to be  somebody's pet." One day, the rat takes the matter into his own paws and posts a  notice in Mrs. Trill's pet store: "Brown rat looking for a kindly owner with an  interest in cheese." Fortunately, the myopic Mr. Fortesque thinks he is acat, and of course, no one corrects him. They live happily ever after,  Mr. Fortesque and... Tiddles. Child's funky, clashing-pattern collages  complement this sweetly earnest story of a creature who wants to love and be  loved, even if it means having to wear a little sweater. (Ages 4 to 8)--Karin Snelson--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.