[.ca] Mr Bears New Baby Book & CD (ISBN 1843628368)

From Amazon.com:
Lauren Child, creator of the popular Clarice Bean books, lavishes her zany, ultramodern, mixed-media attentions on the animal kingdom in That Pesky Rat. This brown street rat lives in a trash can in Grubby Alley, longing to be someone's pet. He knows plenty of animals who are pets. Pierre, a chinchilla, lives in the lap of luxury with Madame Fifi who feeds him chocolates. Nibbles, a lop-eared rabbit, works in a circus with Mr. Hoopla. (With all the trapezes and such, she may have a life that's "a little too nerve-wracking," but at least she has a name other than that pesky rat.) Miss St. Clair does puzzles with her Scottie dog, Andrew, and makes him wear a little hat and coat. "I don't think clothes would suit me," says our rat. "But I would do anything to be somebody's pet." One day, the rat takes the matter into his own paws and posts a notice in Mrs. Trill's pet store: "Brown rat looking for a kindly owner with an interest in cheese." Fortunately, the myopic Mr. Fortesque thinks he is a cat, and of course, no one corrects him. They live happily ever after, Mr. Fortesque and... Tiddles. Child's funky, clashing-pattern collages complement this sweetly earnest story of a creature who wants to love and be loved, even if it means having to wear a little sweater. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson

terrific picture book:
I have never loved a rat more than this little pesky rat. He is sweet, brave, thoughtful, enterprising and wants only to be loved. My daughter and I spent a lot of time looking at this book at the book store and now we are actually buying it, so that we can give him a home, even though my children are past the age of picture books. We are also buying it because the illustrations are witty and interesting; being both straightforward and (using beautifully patterned photo collages) complex. The story is great fun. This rat is as appealing as a rat can be. As a mother of three kids who I've read many books to I am certain that this book is well worth owning. Your children will enjoy hearing this book over and over and you'll enjoy reading it every time.

Wonderful classroom book:
The writing and illustrations in this book are superb. This is a wonderful story of a rat longing to be a pet, and to have a name other than "that pesky rat". This book is a wonderful classroom tool to introduce children to a classroom pet. This book can be read to the students before choosing a name for the class pet.

When you want to belong to someone:
When "That Pesky Rat" (who has no name) wants to become someone's pet, he starts his search by asking his friends about their lives with their owners. After listening to their advice he contacts the local pet store proprietor about finding an owner of his own. She tells him no one would want a rat for a pet, but this feisty fellow doesn't give up. He makes his own advertisement and waits until a special someone comes along.

A Home, An Owner, and a Name.....:
That poor pesky rat. There he is living in trashcan number 3, Grubby Alley. He's all alone in the world wishing he was a real pet, with an owner, and creature comforts, and a name. His friend Pierre, the chinchilla, has a glamorous life eating chocolates, and Nibbles, the lop-eared rabbit, has an exciting life working in a circus. Even Andrew, the scottie dog, has a nice, quiet life with Miss St. Claire. She makes him wear a coat and hat when they go out, and that's embarrassing, but as that pesky rat tells us: "I would do almost anything to be somebody's pet." So he decides to take matters into his own little paws, and write an advertisement for the pet store window. He waits and waits and waits, and then one day old Mr Fortesque, with the very bad eyesight, stops by and reads..... Award winning author and illustrator, Lauren Child, has written a charming and humorous story that will have kids rooting and cheering for this unlikely and endearing want-to-be pet. Her engaging and witty text wraps itself creatively around her cleverly exuberant collage artwork, and children will enjoy all the colors, textures, and eye-catching details as they explore each playful illustration. With a satisfying, feel good ending, That Pesky Rat is perfect for youngsters 4-8, and a wonderful additional to all home libraries.