''That Pesky Rat'' is a British
children's picture book written and illustrated by
Lauren Child and published by Orchard UK in 2002. It won the
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in ages category 6–8 years and it was commended runner up for the
Kate Greenaway Medal
The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) ...
from the
professional librarians, recognising the year's best-illustrated British children's book.
Press releases for the 2002 Awards
(directory). CILIP. Retrieved 18 July 2012.[
Candlewick Press published a US edition in the same year.]["That pesky rat"]
(first U.S. edition). Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
In 2008, a special UNESCO edition was published in the UK. All author and publisher profits from this book now go to support UNESCO projects around the world.
Plot
The story is narrated by a rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
who wishes he could live the life of a proper pet. He visits several friends who are proper pets, including a chinchilla
Chinchillas are either of two species (''Chinchilla chinchilla'' and ''Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mount ...
and a cat. However, he doesn't like the way any of them live. In the end, he puts up signs, asking if there is any one who wants a rat as a pet, and goes to a pet store. He is finally taken home from the store by an old man with poor eyesight who sees him in the display window and mistakes him for a cat. In the end, the rat says that he doesn't mind pretending to be a cat and that he likes his life as a pet.
Notes
References
External links
* {{worldcat , oclc=48501212 —immediately, first US edition
2002 children's books
British children's books
British picture books
Children's fiction books
Books about mice and rats
Chinchilla
Books about cats
Orchard Books books