Practice Makes Perfect for Rotten Ralph: A Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader

by Jack Gantos

Book Overview

When the carnival comes to town, the world's favorite fractious feline discovers the hilariously wrong way to victory before he gets it right. "Illustrated with Rubel's deadpan pictures, this is a prize for newly independent readers, for whom 'practice makes perfect' indeed." -- The Horn Book Guide "Ralph has his own special niche in the world of children's literature, and now on the easy-reader shelves, too." -- Kirkus Reviews *

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374400024
• ISBN13: 9780374400026
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.8" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 6 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 3

Customer Reviews

The Return of Rotten Ralph!

Rotten Ralph the mischievous cat returns in another great story in the series. When a touring Faire comes to town, super-confident (and lazy?) Ralph loses all the booth games to his cousin Percy, and Percy gives the prizes to the beloved Sarah. Ralph cheats (he's sometimes clever, sometimes just downright rotten) and wins some games, but he eventually owns up to his dishonesty. After making it up to the booth operators, Ralph finally--and honestly--wins a prize at the dunking booth.I love the Rotten Ralph series, especially for Nicole Rubel's rich, color-saturated illustrations. She uses beautiful, unusual colors (sometimes recalling Matisse), and her sense of fun complements Jack Gantos' underplayed humor. Gantos wrote a great line for Sarah on the last page: "'Oh, Ralphie,' she said. 'You don't need any practice at being my winner.'" 48 pages divided into four small chapters. The jacket informs us that "an animated series based on...Rotten Ralph is now appearing on television in over 20 countries. In France, Ralph is known as Ralph la Racaille (Ralph the Rascal." I recommend also Nicole Rubel's great "Cyrano the Bear."