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Ratty-Tatty
SUNSHINE Fiction - Level 1 - Set H (Emergent)
A rat tries to steal, and no one can catch her. Will she get away?
A rat tries to steal, and no one can catch her. Will she get away?
16 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
About the author
Joy Cowley
1,497 books104 followersCassia Joy Cowley is a New Zealand author best known for her children's fiction, including the popular series of books Mrs. Wishy-Washy.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 4, 2026
Dad: So: Was it as good as you remember?
Eleanor: Well, in a way it was actually better than I remember, because I didn't have to read it a thousand times, and struggle to figure out what it was saying.
Dad: When was the last time you read it?
Eleanor: MMMmmmmmm... 12 years ago, maybe? So... it's been a while.
Dad: How old are you now, and how old were you then?
Eleanor: Well now, I'm 19... wait... do you mean "then" when I wrote my paper, or "then" when I last read the book? Because that changes my answer a little bit...
Dad: When you last read the book.
Eleanor: Seven. ...But I was first struggling through it when I was six.
Dad: Yeah. I didn't mention the paper. If we had more time, I would have written it into the intro to give our large readership some insight into why we read THIS book right after like... Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning, "Gilead" or Dostoyevsky's "Brother's Karamazov..." This book is important, too. Tell us a little bit about that paper.
Eleanor: First off... I thought you were going to write an intro AFTER you wrote the review. I just thought you were doing it in opposite order this time.
Dad: Think again. Jump right in.
Eleanor: Well, for my Research Writing class, one of my assignments was to write a literacy narrative. I wrote mine about struggling to enjoy reading. At the very beginning of my narrative, I have a scene of me struggling to read this book with mom. When I showed the paper to you - you said "We should read this book! And I thought it would be fun to do a review on it."
Dad: Yeah! It was a really, really well written paper. Like. I want to post it here in its entirety. I think you should try to get it published somewhere. It's SO good. You should ask your professor if you could see about getting it published in the NFB quarterly, or something. It's called "Future Reflections..." I just looked it up, lol. But in the story, this book played a prominent role. And I loved it. I loved it so much, I ALMOST reached out to the author to let her know. But then it was good I didn't, because I got the book confused with another book, and would have reached out to the author of Tatty Ratty... which would have been fun and funny... but like I said: wrong book; wrong author. But we did read and review that one as well - so: all good.
Eleanor: Well: you still COULD reach out to the author. It's written on the book. Also, you say it played a prominent role, but I don't think it showed up any other times other than that one time at the very beginning.
Dad: Be that as it may...: PROMINENT.
Eleanor: I will say, that I think... doing reviews together HAS helped me learn how to write dialogue really well.
Dad: That's good. Right when AI is taking over all the author's jobs.
Eleanor: *Laughs in Sadness* Somehow I doubt that AI is going to take over completely.
Dad: I actually think it will. I'm pretty pessimistic about it. But I'm sure your generation will figure it out.
Eleanor: Why are you so sure that it will.
Dad: Well... Oracle just fired like... 30,000 workers for AI. Other companies are doing the same. AI is now reading my email at work and doing my job better than me. It codes better than me. It responds to customers better than me. It inputs data better than me. ...But I make a mean cup of coffee.
Eleanor: Yeah. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, or maybe I just have more hope about AI. But somehow I doubt it's going to take over everything.
Dad: Yeah. My boss has a self driving car. We should totally get you one of those.
Eleanor: That would be pretty cool.
Dad: ...
Eleanor: (*Who just started laughing all of the sudden.*) I know I just started laughing all of the sudden. I just think it's funny that we started off by talking about a kid's book, moved to talking about AI, and then onto talking about self-driving cars...
Dad... Yeah. No kidding. And I was about to refocus us back to talking about the book. AI would have been laser focused on ONE THING. The kids book. But I was going to say - you're right - maybe I'll have to contact this author after all.
Eleanor: Sometimes it gets a little monotonous if you only focus on one thing for too long. I think we did a better job.
Dad: Someone should tell that to AI.
*************
Special thanks to the Widener University Library in Chester PA who sent this book all the way to Indiana ILL for us to be able to read it. ...Isn't it like... just over at Parkside Elementary School???
Eleanor: Well, in a way it was actually better than I remember, because I didn't have to read it a thousand times, and struggle to figure out what it was saying.
Dad: When was the last time you read it?
Eleanor: MMMmmmmmm... 12 years ago, maybe? So... it's been a while.
Dad: How old are you now, and how old were you then?
Eleanor: Well now, I'm 19... wait... do you mean "then" when I wrote my paper, or "then" when I last read the book? Because that changes my answer a little bit...
Dad: When you last read the book.
Eleanor: Seven. ...But I was first struggling through it when I was six.
Dad: Yeah. I didn't mention the paper. If we had more time, I would have written it into the intro to give our large readership some insight into why we read THIS book right after like... Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning, "Gilead" or Dostoyevsky's "Brother's Karamazov..." This book is important, too. Tell us a little bit about that paper.
Eleanor: First off... I thought you were going to write an intro AFTER you wrote the review. I just thought you were doing it in opposite order this time.
Dad: Think again. Jump right in.
Eleanor: Well, for my Research Writing class, one of my assignments was to write a literacy narrative. I wrote mine about struggling to enjoy reading. At the very beginning of my narrative, I have a scene of me struggling to read this book with mom. When I showed the paper to you - you said "We should read this book! And I thought it would be fun to do a review on it."
Dad: Yeah! It was a really, really well written paper. Like. I want to post it here in its entirety. I think you should try to get it published somewhere. It's SO good. You should ask your professor if you could see about getting it published in the NFB quarterly, or something. It's called "Future Reflections..." I just looked it up, lol. But in the story, this book played a prominent role. And I loved it. I loved it so much, I ALMOST reached out to the author to let her know. But then it was good I didn't, because I got the book confused with another book, and would have reached out to the author of Tatty Ratty... which would have been fun and funny... but like I said: wrong book; wrong author. But we did read and review that one as well - so: all good.
Eleanor: Well: you still COULD reach out to the author. It's written on the book. Also, you say it played a prominent role, but I don't think it showed up any other times other than that one time at the very beginning.
Dad: Be that as it may...: PROMINENT.
Eleanor: I will say, that I think... doing reviews together HAS helped me learn how to write dialogue really well.
Dad: That's good. Right when AI is taking over all the author's jobs.
Eleanor: *Laughs in Sadness* Somehow I doubt that AI is going to take over completely.
Dad: I actually think it will. I'm pretty pessimistic about it. But I'm sure your generation will figure it out.
Eleanor: Why are you so sure that it will.
Dad: Well... Oracle just fired like... 30,000 workers for AI. Other companies are doing the same. AI is now reading my email at work and doing my job better than me. It codes better than me. It responds to customers better than me. It inputs data better than me. ...But I make a mean cup of coffee.
Eleanor: Yeah. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, or maybe I just have more hope about AI. But somehow I doubt it's going to take over everything.
Dad: Yeah. My boss has a self driving car. We should totally get you one of those.
Eleanor: That would be pretty cool.
Dad: ...
Eleanor: (*Who just started laughing all of the sudden.*) I know I just started laughing all of the sudden. I just think it's funny that we started off by talking about a kid's book, moved to talking about AI, and then onto talking about self-driving cars...
Dad... Yeah. No kidding. And I was about to refocus us back to talking about the book. AI would have been laser focused on ONE THING. The kids book. But I was going to say - you're right - maybe I'll have to contact this author after all.
Eleanor: Sometimes it gets a little monotonous if you only focus on one thing for too long. I think we did a better job.
Dad: Someone should tell that to AI.
*************
Special thanks to the Widener University Library in Chester PA who sent this book all the way to Indiana ILL for us to be able to read it. ...Isn't it like... just over at Parkside Elementary School???
August 7, 2023
A starting book for children that is simple and fun to read as it explores a very naughty rat with a very fun name.
The text is in large font and although there are multiple sentences on the page they are rather short. Furthermore most of the story is repetitive but used wisely to help move the story forward.
The book is brightly colored and has simple characters while the humans for whatever reason remind me of Italians in looks although not in response. And there is a slight difference with the cat being shown as a regular cat while Ratty-tatty was provided weirdly enough with lipstick plus a bow so you could understand she is female, which in this time and age wouldn't work.
My only major hang-ups are the fact that no reason is given as to why the man and the woman could catch Ratty-tatty although the cat has a good excuse. And my second hang-up would be the fact that the drawing of Ratty with the fork would make it seem like the fork wouldn't have been the thing caught.
Otherwise again it is a cute and quick read while I do think that younger readers will rather enjoy this if they get a chance to read it.
The text is in large font and although there are multiple sentences on the page they are rather short. Furthermore most of the story is repetitive but used wisely to help move the story forward.
The book is brightly colored and has simple characters while the humans for whatever reason remind me of Italians in looks although not in response. And there is a slight difference with the cat being shown as a regular cat while Ratty-tatty was provided weirdly enough with lipstick plus a bow so you could understand she is female, which in this time and age wouldn't work.
My only major hang-ups are the fact that no reason is given as to why the man and the woman could catch Ratty-tatty although the cat has a good excuse. And my second hang-up would be the fact that the drawing of Ratty with the fork would make it seem like the fork wouldn't have been the thing caught.
Otherwise again it is a cute and quick read while I do think that younger readers will rather enjoy this if they get a chance to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2024
Hated the ending the rat should never get away
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews