Cinderella's Rat

by Susan Meddaugh

Overview

Life is full of surprises for the rat who gets turned into a coachman by Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Susan Meddaugh uses her wit and animated artwork to give a hilarious new take on an old tale in this story of an ordinary rat caught in extraordinary circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618125401
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/26/2002
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.06(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.15(d)
Lexile:	420L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Susan Meddaugh worked at a publishing company for ten years, first as a designer, then art editor, and finally as art director before striking out on her own as a freelance illustrator and creator of children's books. Susan has written and illustrated many popular books for children, including Martha Speaks, which was chosen as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book for 1992. Her Martha Speaks book series was adapted into an award-winning PBS Kids TV show. She lives in Sherborn, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

"This spinoff from the Cinderella story is an instant classic — children will love it. . . . Humor permeates the tale, while clever twists shape it." Kirkus Reviews

"This spoof tickles and surprises royally." School Library Journal, Starred —

From the Publisher

Fairy tale magic goes comically awry in Meddaugh's (Martha Speaks) witty take on the story of Cinderella. An ordinary rat and his sister Ruth fear they are doomed after they are lured into a rat trap. But they've happened into no ordinary snare: their captor waves a wand and changes the narrator into a coachman ("Well, more of a coachboy") and instructs him to chauffeur a smiling blonde girl to a ball. As the girl dances the night away, the rat/coachboy finds a wizard to work the same kind of form-changing magic on Ruth. Unfortunately, the bumbling wizard's wacky spells change Ruth into a girl who barks like a dog. This zany string of events leads to a satisfying conclusion, just at the stroke of midnight. Meddaugh suffuses her silly plot with a pert drollery that keeps readers intrigued from start to finish. Children will no doubt find encouragement to imagine all sorts of additional twists on the traditional fairy tale. Meddaugh's spirited watercolors capture the rats' frantic and amazed expressions as they tumble through life-altering adventures. And her skillful use of kinetic swirls and sparkles suggests nothing short of magic. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-4What if one of the rats transformed into a coachman by the fairy godmother for Cinderella's coach remained human? What if he has a sister who remained a rat? What if an inept wizard tried to reverse the spell that wasn't a spell to change her back into a human-even though she never was one? With Meddaugh's magic wand, this fairy-tale switcheroo animates the scenario with tongue-in-cheek, tail-in-hand, and out and out clever aplomb. The telling is a perfect example of a successful fractured fairy tale, with switched point of view (told by the rat/coachboy), plays on words, and dramatic tension. The plot is short; the playfulness of story is tall; and the buoyant line drawings capture the whimsy. Just as her "Martha" books (Houghton) delight and entertain, this spoof tickles and surprises royally.Julie Cummins, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

This spinoff from the Cinderella story is an instant classic—children will love it, while adults who read it aloud will admire the imagination and talent Meddaugh (Martha Blah Blah, 1996, etc.) exhibits in this highly original tale.

The story is framed thus: "I was born a rat. I expected to be a rat all my days. But life is full of surprises." The familiar tale is the backdrop for the rat's story: He was caught in a trap, but his captor is a fairy godmother who turns rats into coachmen. He goes along to the ball, and is drawn to the larder, where a fellow servant almost stomps the hero's sister Ruth, still a rat. There begins a series of zany events that only readers fully understand, leading to an ending—a happy ending—that no one will predict. Humor permeates the tale, while clever twists shape it; as in William Steig's best work, the language is spare and catchy, the telling is droll, and pictures and text combine perfectly.

Kirkus Reviews