Morrin, Albert. (2006). Illustrated by C.B. Mordan. Oh, rats! the story of rats and
people. New York: Dutton Children’s Books/Penguin Young Readers Group.
48 pages. ISBN # 0-525-47762-4
Award/s: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2007
Genre: informational
Content Area: science/social studies
Grade level: 4th-6th
Credibility of author: The author includes bibliographical references of books from which he got information.
Summary: This book provides a lot of interesting information on the science and history of rats. It’s an insider’s view into the good, the bad, and the ugly roles that rats have played and continue to play in our society today.
Standards: Life Science IV, Social Studies II: Time, Continuity, and Change
Illustrations: wood-cut like black and white illustrations livened up with red accents
Text structure: descriptive
Tone: conversational
Voice: The author conveys an enthusiasm and respect for his subject of rats. He establishes a presence in chapter 1 by giving a first person account of his first terrifying encounter with a rat as a boy.
Language: The vocabulary is age appropriate.
Access features: table of contents, chapter titles, bibliography, sidebars
Use: This book would work best for independent reading and research. I would use this book when studying mammals or the plague. Children in grades 4th-6th would find this book fascinating enough to read independently outside of a unit of study in class.
Response: I never thought I would enjoy reading an informational book about rats, but I was in for a surprise. I found this book extremely interesting and happily shared my new knowledge of rats to family and friends. One interesting story I read was how a rat befriended an American prisoner held in solitary confinement during the Vietnam War. The rat visited the soldier every day, and the soldier fed it, played with it, and talked to it. When the rat didn’t show up for a few days, the soldier felt sad and lonely. When the rat did return, the soldier saw that it was missing a leg. In a sense, this rat helped this man survive his torture by helping him to keep his sanity.
While I still don’t like rats, after reading this book I have a greater respect for them and their ability to adapt and survive.
Related texts:
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the Cities Most Unwanted Inhabitants
by Robert Sullivan
Rats (Scary Creatures) by Gerald Legg
The Black Death by Philip Ziegler
Rats by Carol Daly
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2 comments:
Funny how we think so little about some creatures--but reading about them makes them fascinating!
Love the example from the book you shared!
Deb-After you mentioned this book in class, it sounds like a must read! I can't stand rats myself, but I think I would find them very fascinating!
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