Rotten Ralph is one cat who can make reading fun for kids. And he does!

K-Gr 3-Jack Gantos's Rotten Ralph beginning reader (Farrar, 2001) offers a humorous exploration of how to become an Egyptian, summarized into four chapters: "Walk Like an Egyptian," "Read Like an Egyptian," "Shake Like an Egyptian" and "Look Like an Egyptian." Listeners learn about the lifestyles and customs of Ancient Egypt when Ralph, the adventurous feline, wants to help Sarah, his owner, with her class project. Sarah and Ralph go to the library to work on the project but, as usual, Ralph gets into trouble. In the end, Ralph lives up to his reputation of a "wise cat" and helps Sarah with her project by dressing up as the Sphinx to save the day. Background noises such as pouring kitty litter, flipping pancakes, and running water enhance the audio experience and draw listeners into the setting. Gantos's expressive narration brings Rotten Ralph's emotions to life. Although Ralph never utters a single word, the audience will laugh at his pranks and relate to his fallibility and persistence. One audio track has page-turn signals, and the other is straight narration. Listeners will enjoy the story's humor and Nicole Rubel's colorful illustrations.-Ann Crewdson, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Rotten Ralph's bouncy, semi-bad behavior and amusing antics have been delighting children for years in the long-running series from the versatile Gantos (Joey Pigza Loses Control, 2000, etc.). Now the irrepressible Ralph has moved on to "Rotten Ralph Rotten Readers" in this upper-level easy reader with an Egyptian theme that will dovetail nicely into first- and second-grade classrooms studying ancient Egypt. Ralph's owner, the ever-cheerful Sarah, shares all the interesting facts she's learned in the class Egyptian unit, and Ralph tries to help her with her library research and her individual class project, causing his familiar brand of minor troubles at every turn. (He does at least attempt to be helpful in this story, rather than rotten as in some of his previous capers.) Rubel's flat, stylized illustrations in full color are a natural complement to the Egyptian style of art, and she adds a good deal of additional information on ancient Egyptian culture through her illustrations. The text is set in large type with plenty of white space, and the story is divided into four simple chapters. Although this will function well as an amusing and educational easy reader, it contains enough facts and illustrations about ancient Egypt to serve as the corner stone for a classroom thematic unit-all that and rascally red Rotten Ralph, too. (Easy reader. 6-8)