Rotten Ralph

By Jack Gantos

Book Overview

Ralph, a very, very nasty cat, finally sees the error of his ways -- or does he? This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395242762
• ISBN13: 9780395242766
• Release Date: January 1976
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.5" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Rotten yet Sweet

My 2-year-old can't get enough of this book! The illustrations are creative, unique and keep his attention. Rotten Ralph is a lovable character even with his mischievous ways. This book reinforces to children that even if they misbehave and have to go to time-out, they are still loved and important. We've enjoyed all the other Rotten Ralph titles as well.

Rotten but loveable

Of all the books that I read to my son when he was young, "Rotten Ralph" was one of my--and his--favorites. The artwork is incredible--very kinetic and colorful, a combination of Keith Haring and Outsider Art. The story is written with great wit, and one can sympahize with the poor heroine trying to get her unruly cat to behave--kind of like she's the parent and Ralph's the child. Yeah, Ralph's behavior is really rotten, but Sarah loves him anyway. Sound familiar? Like Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," "Rotten Ralph" project a child's fears to an imaginary realm where they can be dealt with safely. It's a great piece of children's literature.

Hilarious and surprising!

This book is hilarious. The bathos of Ralph's predicament is devastatingly funny. He deserves everything he gets. During one scene, the author slips in a perhaps unconscious homage to the famous nose episode of the Brady Bunch, when the owner of a dog is heard to exclaim "my dog!"