It's a fun children's story that uses words starting with "R" very often. It's not just in the title, it's in the text itself. I think that's what I enjoyed the most. Also the vocabulary that was used in order to keep with the usage of R was impressive. I think younger readers will need to grab a dictionary for some words, which will encourage learning. That's something a children's book should be doing. ( )

Rude Ramsay lives with his revolting relatives who cook horrible food and abuse him if he complains about these terrible meals. His only friend is a red-nosed rat named Ralph, with whom he decides to venture through a small rat-hole in the rampart to see what's on the other side. The opposite side of the rampart is beautiful and full of fresh fruits and vegetables for Ramsay to eat. Perhaps even more important, the other side of the rampart is where Rillah lives, a lonely little girl with no relatives who is looking for a friend.

Like with Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut, I found this book a bit odd. Atwood was clearly experimenting with writing an highly alliterative story, as the book is replete with words beginning with "r" or an "r" sound like in wretched. Sometimes this is more effective than others. (For instance, Ramsey's horrible home life is described as "rigorous" so that's an example of a less effective use of the repetitive "r.") The repeated use of words starting with "r" makes this a bit of a tongue-twister to read aloud, but it also seems to pull children in a little bit more. (My kindergarteners were fairly absorbed with listening to this book, so that's something.) If they stop to ask questions or use a dictionary, children will undoubtedly walk away with some new vocabulary words learned as a result of all the "r" words Atwood had to use to complete this story.

However, unlike with Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut, there's less of a defined plot and moral here. Ramsay and Rillah become friends, so probably the most you could take away from this story is that having a friend is a good - and sometimes helpful - thing. The revolting relatives' abusive behavior is not as strongly condemned as I would like to see in a book aimed for an audience of children. The illustrations are perfectly fine, picturing what the text describes, but they are not particularly anything to write home about. However, the final spread has a great illustration showing the very disparate realities on each side of the rampart. All in all, this is a book I felt "meh" about - I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but I also wouldn't strongly argue that people stay away from it either. ( )

I respond reliably with writhing rollicks to the relentlous repetitions of resounding r's. Fun. ( )

Regrettably, this small book is terribly edited. Character names are inconsistent, mechanical details have been ignored, and the diction is loose — a strange feature in a book by a poet. For years Atwood has lacked the support of diligent copy editing. That lack is unfortunate in a book intended for an adult audience, but deplorable in a book intended for children. Disappointing. ( )