Little Rat Sets Sail

by Monika Bang-Campbell, Molly Bang (Illustrator)

Overview

It's time for Little Rat to start sailing lessons. But there's a BIG problem--she's afraid of water! She's scared she'll fall in, she's scared her boat will sink, and she's sure the other students will laugh at her.
Isn't it lucky, then, that Little Rat ends up with an instructor who helps her realize she is braver than she thinks?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547564258
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/21/2011
Series:	Little Rat
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
File size:	94 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Monika Bang-Campbell is the author of the Little Rat books.   
 

MOLLY BANG has written and illustrated more than twenty books, including three Caldecott Honor winners: When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry…; Ten, Nine, Eight; and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. She lives close to the ocean in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

"This mother-daughter team presents a chipper early chapter book starring a likable young rodent whose parents sign her up for sailing lessons," wrote PW. "Though Little Rat is hardly happy about it, the more she learns, the less she fears the water. A breezy junket for aspiring skippers and confirmed landlubbers alike." Ages 6-9. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1-3-In this easy-reader chapter book, Little Rat doesn't want to take the sailing lessons that her parents have signed her up for because she's afraid of the water. However, after a series of small accomplishments, she learns to enjoy the sport, and realizes that she is braver than she thought. Bang's expressive, richly colored mixed-media illustrations of Little Rat facing each challenge are charming and sweet and feature some interesting perspectives, and the little protagonist is so determined not to let fear stand in her way that she herself is quite compelling. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stiff and unnatural.-Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Little Rat's parents have signed her up for sailing lessons, but she doesn't want to learn to sail; in fact, she doesn't even want to get wet. She perseveres through a whole summer of sailing lessons in this beginning chapter book, a first effort from Bang-Campbell (who is an accomplished sailor herself), with illustrations provided by her mother, Caldecott Honor artist Bang (Tiger's Fall, 2001, etc.). Little Rat is joined in sailing class by a menagerie of assorted animals, including a raccoon that is even more timid and nervous, providing Little Rat an opportunity to help someone else. Lots of sailing terms are introduced, with some terms defined within the text, some through one labeled illustration, and a few just thrown out and never defined (e.g., the unexplained use of the word lines for ropes, which will confuse anyone who hasn't sailed before, especially first graders who draw lines and get in lines for recess). But never mind, Little Rat is a brave little sailor with her own shy appeal and Bang's charming illustrations are impossible to resist. This story, the first in a series, will be popular in areas where sailboats rule the seas. Let's hope Little Rat learns to swim in the next offering, as those who go down to the sea to sail should really learn to swim first. (Easy reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"Little Rat's first outing should earn her a veritable flotilla of fans."—The Horn Book

"Buoyant and brightly hued . . . A breezy junket for aspiring skippers and confirmed landlubbers alike."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher