Rot, the Bravest in the World!

by Ben Clanton, Ben Clanton (Illustrator)

Overview

Rot faces a scary, squirmy new challenge and finds what makes him feel brave in this sweet and slimy companion to Rot, the Cutest in the World!

Rot is a mutant potato. Like most mutant potatoes, Rot loves mud. He plays games in it, he eats it, he even sleeps in it! So, when Rot sees the most magnificent, messy mud pit ever, he can’t wait to dive right in.

But then, Rot’s big brother warns him: Watch out for the Squirm! The Squirm is slippery and slimy and gross and grimy, and it lives in the beloved mud. Now, Rot’s too scared to jump into the puddle. Can anything help him feel brave enough to take the plunge and face...the Squirm?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481467643
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/16/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	669,071
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD420L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ben Clanton is a lot like a mutant potato. He too enjoys mud, eating stuff, and playing games. When Ben isn’t doing these things (and sometimes when he is), he likes to make books. Books like the Tater Tales series, It Came in the Mail, Something Extraordinary, and the New York Times bestselling Narwhal and Jelly series. See what he is up to at BenClanton.com.

Ben Clanton is a lot like a mutant potato. He too enjoys mud, eating stuff, and playing games. When Ben isn’t doing these things (and sometimes when he is), he likes to make books. Books like the Tater Tales series, It Came in the Mail, Something Extraordinary, and the New York Times bestselling Narwhal and Jelly series. See what he is up to at BenClanton.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Clanton...succeeds in a delightfully disgusting readaloud that kids with a penchant for fart jokes will love....The book uses watercolors and, appropriately, potato stamps to depict Rot and his mutant potato friends in all their unibrowed, uneven pupilled glory in the style of a Cartoon Network show. Kids with a passion for the gross and smelly will find a home in this unabashed depiction of the slimy world of mutant potatoes."

May 2020 - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Using potato prints and mixed media to great gloopy effect, Clanton portrays a pair of truly scabrous
looking tubers...Young readers will happily slip into the slop with these terrific taters."

February 2020 - Booklist

"Using potato prints and mixed media to great gloopy effect, Clanton portrays a pair of truly scabrous
looking tubers...Young readers will happily slip into the slop with these terrific taters."

February 2020 - Booklist

05/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—Rot the potato is a protagonist who, like many young children, is both grimy and adorable. He and his mutant potato pals eat mud, play with mud, and sleep in mud. However, when Rot finds the messiest mud pit he's ever seen, his brother, Snot, teases him with a rumor about a scary monster that lives in the mud: the squirm. Rot channels his bravery by putting on a heroic costume before he ventures into the mud. Clanton uses colored pencils and potato stamps for the illustrations, creating spuds that are packed with personality. The book's narration is in monospace font while the humorous dialogue looks handwritten inside of colorful word bubbles. The smart mix of text types makes the story easy to follow; challenging vocabulary words like magnificent and slippery stand out in a larger font. By the end of the story, Rot turns the tables on Snot with a good-natured and funny prank. VERDICT Recommended for purchase. Rot and his brother may be small potatoes, but they share a heartwarming story about bravery and brotherly love.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

★ 2020-02-09
A “scaredy-spud” puts on his brave face.

All “mutant potatoes” love mud. Mud is good for playing games, eating, and even sleeping. But few taters have more tender feelings toward muck than Rot. À la Pete the Cat, Rot celebrates mud in song: “Mud between my toes! / Mud in my nose! / Mud is GREAT / wherever it GOES!” When Rot’s big brother, Snot, tells Rot about the Squirm that lives “deep down in the mushy muck,” his love quickly turns to fear. But he doesn’t give up! Instead, Rot imagines himself in various disguises to work up courage. There’s “Super Spud” (a superhero), “Sir Super Rot, the Brave and Bold” (a superhero-knight), and even “Sir Super Rot the Pigtato” (a, um, superhero-knight-pig-potato). The disguises are one thing, but, deep down, is Rot really brave enough to face the Squirm? Readers wooed by Rot’s charm in Rot: The Cutest in the World (2017) will laugh out loud at this well-paced encore—and it’s not just because of the butt cracks. Clanton creates a winning dynamic, balancing Rot’s earnestness, witty dialogue, and an omniscient, slightly melodramatic narrator. The cartoon illustrations were created using watercolors, colored pencils, digital collage, and—brilliantly—potato stamps. Clanton’s reliance on earth tones makes for some clever, surprising page turns when the palette is broken.

Cute and brave—gee, Rot’s spud-tacular! (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews