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When Randolph Turned Rotten
MOST OF THE TIME, Randolph is very, very nice. But when his friend Ivy gets invited to a really great sleepover birthday party and he doesn't, Randolph feels a little left out, and sad, and mad. And then he goes a little crazy! Will he ever turn back to the nice friend he once was? We hope so! This nutty friendship story recognizes that even best friends aren't always good friends (sometimes they can be downright rotten!). Kids' squirmier feelings are conveyed with good humor and empathy in this reassuring tale about the icky feelings we all have, even though we are mostly very, very nice.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 12, 2008
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Friendship. Jealousy. Guilt. Sleepovers. Birthdays. Behavior. Forgiveness
Curricular Use: Guided-reading would be the best. Shared-reading and read-aloud would be too confusing with the text and pictures not in a typical pattern.
Social: Emotions. Forgiveness. Gender: Randolph not invited to the girls-only party
Literary Elements: Humor. Main characters a Beaver and a Duck
Text & Pictures: Interaction between text and pictures. Pictures show the emotion in the text. Randolph the Beaver changes from Best Friend Randolph to Nasty Randolph with the addition of two down-slanting eyebrows. The characters' word balloons provide the only dialogue for the text.
Additional Notes: A humous look at the potential damage jealousy can do and the forgiveness between two best friends.
Reading Level: Early
Topics & Themes: Friendship. Jealousy. Guilt. Sleepovers. Birthdays. Behavior. Forgiveness
Curricular Use: Guided-reading would be the best. Shared-reading and read-aloud would be too confusing with the text and pictures not in a typical pattern.
Social: Emotions. Forgiveness. Gender: Randolph not invited to the girls-only party
Literary Elements: Humor. Main characters a Beaver and a Duck
Text & Pictures: Interaction between text and pictures. Pictures show the emotion in the text. Randolph the Beaver changes from Best Friend Randolph to Nasty Randolph with the addition of two down-slanting eyebrows. The characters' word balloons provide the only dialogue for the text.
Additional Notes: A humous look at the potential damage jealousy can do and the forgiveness between two best friends.
December 7, 2021
Randolph gets mean when he doesn't get invited to Ava's Birthday party.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2023
Fan favorite in our house!
February 29, 2024
Randolph is jealous when his friend is invited to a party that he isn't invited to. I really liked how jealousy is handled in this story.
September 30, 2008
Love Charise Mericle Harper. Love Flush: The Scoop on Poop Throughout the Ages, love Fashion Kitty, love love love The Monster Show: Everything You Never Knew About Monsters.
Her sense of humor and faux-naive maximalist illustration style are to love. And When Randolph Turned Rotten is the best yet! Every panel, every page will make my kids helpless with laughter. The moment when Randolph turns, he goes from Best Friend Randolph, with 'rainbow-filled-with-love-insides' (there's an arrow pointing to where his insides are), to Nasty Randolph, with 'stinky rotten insides' (and also, 'mad hands'). Spoiler: he turns back.
Her sense of humor and faux-naive maximalist illustration style are to love. And When Randolph Turned Rotten is the best yet! Every panel, every page will make my kids helpless with laughter. The moment when Randolph turns, he goes from Best Friend Randolph, with 'rainbow-filled-with-love-insides' (there's an arrow pointing to where his insides are), to Nasty Randolph, with 'stinky rotten insides' (and also, 'mad hands'). Spoiler: he turns back.
August 26, 2013
When Randolph the beaver learns that his best friend Ivy, the goose is invited to a girls-only sleepover party, he's a little bit jealous and whole-lot-of mad. So, he decides to pack Ivy's suitcase with things she doesn't need, tell her about the scary animals that live by the beach, and send her off with unnecessary worries. Then, he starts to feel guilty, because best friends don't sabotage their friends happiness.
What Randolph doesn't know, though, is that he just happened to pack the very things Ivy needed for a great party! He's a hero!
What Randolph doesn't know, though, is that he just happened to pack the very things Ivy needed for a great party! He's a hero!
April 9, 2008
It's impossible to resist Randolph and his "rotten-ness", in this quirky book about jealousy and friendship. This is a great read!
CIP: Best friends Randolph, a beaver, and Ivy, a goose, do everything together until Ivy is invited to a girls-only birthday sleepover party and Randolph, full of bad feelings, tries to spoil her fun.
"A charmer of a read." Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will recognize a bit of theirselves in Randolph." School Library Journal (starred review)
CIP: Best friends Randolph, a beaver, and Ivy, a goose, do everything together until Ivy is invited to a girls-only birthday sleepover party and Randolph, full of bad feelings, tries to spoil her fun.
"A charmer of a read." Kirkus Reviews
"Readers will recognize a bit of theirselves in Randolph." School Library Journal (starred review)
February 5, 2009
This is a decent story about jealousy, being mean to a friend, and the guilty feelings that result. The pages are more interactive than usual with dialogue between characters as well as the story's narration. Recommended for children in primary grades, particularly those having problems with behavior.
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February 4, 2016When Ivy receives an invitation to a sleepover, Randolph resents her excitement and constant chatter about the party. He hopes for the best (that she changes her mind) and the worst (that she has a lousy time). Randolph's conflicting emotions are captured truthfully; kids will recognize the feelings of anger and hurt.
January 11, 2010
This is a fun story about jealousy and friendship. Our girls enjoyed it, especially the part about the campfire on the beach. It's a good story to read aloud to children before starting a conversation about how to be a good friend.
May 8, 2014
This is a fun book about friendship. It is funny, fun, silly, and how to deal with jealousy.. and how to forgive. This book made me laugh and we will always have "don't eat the seesaw" "oh I am just smelling the wood"
March 7, 2016
Randolph's best friend Ivy is invited to a "girls only" party and Randolph can't help but feel a bit bitter about it. He tries to ruin the experience for Ivy, but in the end his mean intentions actually save the day.
Okay illustrations.
Okay illustrations.
June 15, 2016
This is a good book for children that teaches them what being nice to your friends is about. The illustrations and wording are a delight for adults as well as children. You will laugh as an adult reading this book.
April 7, 2008
not a good read aloud for girls or storytime. has little cartoon bubbles throughout that accompany the story text.
July 14, 2008
Cute illustrations. Good story.
October 22, 2008
Hilarious!
January 29, 2010
I did not like the narration interspersed with the cartoon conversations. When I read a book aloud I want to read from start to finish, not stop to read the comic.
September 21, 2011
This is a great book for children to read. Friendship are very fragile at this age so it is important for them to know what jealousy is and how to deal with it.
July 2, 2012
Randolph is normally a really nice beaver, but when his best friend Ivy the goose gets invited to a girls only party, Randolph gets really naughty and then later regrets his actions.
April 26, 2016
My daughter loved this book.
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April 9, 2008this is a great book and i recommend it to everyone
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews