Louie, 5th grader and his younger brother Ralphie, 3rd grader, have a problem. Their dad is one big tough rat. He drives a forklift and a snowplow and he hardly ever smiles. Dad tells Louie and Ralphie that there are two kinds of people...(he probably means rats, too) in the world. There are the really tough kind and there are the really soft kind. Louie and Ralphie really look up to their dad and they want to be just like him. Since their mom has been gone a long while, they feel a little sad. But they don't want to seem like they might be softies. They want to show Dad they are tough rats, too.
So, they decide to do tough things and they start at school. Sure, just grab that kids hat right off his head and everyone will know Louie and Ralphie are a pair of tough rats. They'll prove how tough they are.
But, wait...this hat thing just isn't going like they planned. So, they try another tough rat thing..and another and another...and not one single tough rat mission turns out right. Or does it?
What will Louie and Ralphie tell their dad? Will he be proud of them? Will he think they are tough rats too? You never know what a dad will say!
Good reader for the reluctant readers who want some action and something a bit irreverent.
978-0763676360 Ages 6-9 58 pages
This is a Geisel Honor Book announced in 2017.
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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Meet Louie Ratso, 5th grader, and his 3rd grader brother, Ralphie Ratso, They "live in the Big City" with their father Big Lou. Big Lou is a really tough guy. He does tough guy work driving a truck and a forklift. He never, ever talks about Mama Ratso and how she's gone.
Ralphie and Louie have decided to be tough. They're going to show their father they are no softies either. They start walking to school like tough guys. They don't say much...just like tough guys. One day they decide to "do something to make them look tough."
They start looking for people to pick on, to make fun of and they look for ways to make something bad happen for other people. They don't stop to wonder why they want to be like this. They don't talk to each other about what Mama Ratso would have thought about how they are acting. they just look for ways to look really, really tough.
What happens when you "scratch" a tough guy? Do you find a softie inside? Is there a big hurt hiding there and looking for a way to be noticed?
This book just might start some questions and open doors to hidden softness. A fun and highly entertaining look at what tough guys might think of next and how things don't always turn out the way you expect them to.
58 pages 978-0763673660 Ages 6-9
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com