Three Cheers for Errol

by Babette Cole

Spelling, sums and even art are beyond Errol the Rat, but he intends to prove to the other rats that his prowess in sports excells them all. Errol resolves to win the Inter-School Ratathlon, despite some dirty tricks from the opposition.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Babette Cole was a British children's author and illustrator. Born on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1949, she attended the Canterbury College of Art (now the University for the Creative Arts) and received first-class BA Honors. She worked on such children's programmes as Bagpuss (working with Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin) and Jackanory for BBC television.

As a children's writer, Cole created more than 150 picture books. Her best-seller Doctor Dog has been adapted as a successful children's cartoon series. Much of her work is earthy comedy, having titles like The Smelly Book, The Hairy Book, The Slimy Book and The Silly Book.

She spent her time writing, visiting schools and traveling. After a short illness she died on 15 January 2017, aged 66.

Reviews

[Aleha Begum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Cheers for Errol is the story of a rat who struggles academically but realises he is good at sports. This book is good to introduce children to different events that may be going on during the Olympics. It can be used in lessons that may be themed around the Olympics and can be used as a story to generate discussion. Really good illustrations and has its own twist to describe certain sports related to rats.

[Lady Hermione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, witty, understated dry humour and wonderfully detailed illustrations. One may well appreciate it more as an adult.

[Tom Stickings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Cheers for Errol is the story of a scruffy city rat who struggles with academic pursuits but excels at sports. Some rats from posh schools decide they don't want a scruffy rat doing well at the upcoming Inter-school Ratathalon, so they agree to play a trick on Errol and injure him before the tournament. Rather than give up, however, Errol overcomes adversity and competes in the Ratathalon using his tail, winning five different events. The messages for young children is twofold; firstly, that there are many fields in which one can be a success, not academia alone and, secondly, that perseverance against the odds can lead to great accomplishments.

This book would work well in late key stage 1 or early key stage two. The illustrations in Three Cheers for Errol are fantastic and funny and really bring the tale to life, if a large copy could be found the pictures would make it a great choice for reading as a class. The language used is interesting in that, while the narrative is relatively simple, some of the wordplay, for example the aforementioned Ratathalon, could be quite challenging for some children, especially those who have English as an additional language. Nonetheless, even without some of the jokes, the story remains engaging and enjoyable.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to read alongside Churchill's Tails

[Kristen Griggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Cheers for Errol is a wonderful book that illustrates bullying in a way people don't consider. This book is a perfect example of the quote by Albert Einstein: "Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

I would use this book in the classroom to show that everyone has their strengths and everyone has their weaknesses, and its okay to struggle with something as long as you are putting in effort.