{"id":484890561,"title":"Dirty Rats?","handle":"dirty-rats","description":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/darrin-lunde\" title=\"Author Darrin Lunde\"\u003eDarrin Lunde\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca title=\"Illustrator Adam Gustavson\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/adam-gustavson\"\u003eAdam Gustavson\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRats are filthy and disgusting. Right?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThink you know about rats? They’re dirty, disgusting, and spread diseases. They should be trapped and killed. The world would be better off without them. But, wait…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat about laboratory rats that help scientists learn about disease and ways to ease human suffering? What about the animals that prey on rats for food? Or, how about African giant pouched rats whose heightened sense of smell is used by demolition experts to locate explosives in minefields?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are hundreds of rat species living all over the world. Rats have bad reputations, but they aren’t all bad. Many rats live clean, healthy lives and are a useful part of their ecosystems. Some are even—dare we say it—cute.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYoung readers are introduced to several species—including their binomial nomenclature—and learn where they live, what they eat, how they communicate, and more. Reluctant readers will be drawn to the gross-out factor, and learning more about an animal removes the fear and hate that comes from misunderstanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdam Gustavson’s illustrations get down and dirty where rats live, including a bamboo forest at night, mountain streams, and the southwestern desert, as well as the sewers where we normally expect to find these creatures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca title=\"Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle\" href=\"http:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/behold-the-beautiful-dung-beetle\"\u003eBehold the Beautiful Dung Beetle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/hello-bumblebee-bat\" title=\"Hello, Bumblebee Bat\"\u003eHello, Bumblebee Bat\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/meet-the-meerkat\" title=\"Meet the Meerkat\"\u003eMeet the Meerkat\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/dirty-rats-spread.jpg?6213956634227549812\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e\u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDarrin Lunde, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDarrin Lunde has worked as a mammalogist at the American Museum of Natural History and at the Smithsonian Institute. His work has brought him into contact with all kinds of animals, big and small, throughout the remote forests of South America, Africa, and Asia where he camped for months at a time to survey species diversity and to discover new species. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eHello, Bumblebee Bat\u003c\/i\u003e, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book, \u003ci\u003eAfter the Kill\u003c\/i\u003e, and other books about animals. He lives in Washington, DC.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Darrin Lunde\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/darrin-lunde\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Darrin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdam Gustavson, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdam received his Bachelor's degree in illustration from Rowan University and his Master's from the School of Visial Arts in New York. Adam has illustrated several picture books, including the award-winning Good Luck, Mrs. K! (Margaret K. McElderry). He also teaches at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey, and Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Illlustrator Adam Gustavson\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/adam-gustavson\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Adam.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNSTA\/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Smithsonian mammal specialist makes a bid to clean up the rat's rotten rep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnswering the titular question with \"Maybe. Maybe not,\" Lunde shifts readers' focus away from rats in urban environments to wild species-from the bamboo-eating long-tailed marmoset rat of Southeast Asia to the Philippines' bushy-tailed cloud rat. He also notes the important roles rats play in spreading seeds, feeding snakes and other predators, and (without getting too, or actually at all, specific) medical research. Gustavson joins the rescue operation with close-ups of rats rendered in naturalistic detail but looking more inquisitive than feral, sporting large pink ears and whiskery snouts. Some of the city settings are picturesquely grimy, but there are no dead creatures or images more disturbing than, in one scene, a white lab rat and a researcher in surgical garb locking eyes. On the contrary, another illustration even features a rat leaning in from the edge of the page to peer up at viewers, and a closing portrait gallery of selected rat species is equally fetching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot particularly convincing as a reclamation project but generally informative and easy on the eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew animals are as maligned as rats, something mammal specialist Lunde knows well. \"Dirty rats. Their beady eyes and naked tails make us scream. Eek! Aargh! Yikes!\" he writes as a frightened woman in hair curlers tries to sweep rats off her apartment's fire escape. Lunde sets out to challenge misconceptions about these ubiquitous rodents, while introducing different rats from around the world, pointing out how they vary significantly from those seen in urban subway stations (\"Not all rats have ugly, naked tails. The bushy-tailed cloud rat's tail is completely covered in fur\"). Readers learn how rats scatter seeds that enable plants to grow and how laboratory rats help find cures for disease. Gustavson's typically lush oil paintings do their part to help sway opinions-his sewer rats come across as intelligent, curious, and even adorable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLunde starts out this closer—\u003cem\u003eshudder\u003c\/em\u003e—look at rats just how you might expect: in grimy subway tunnels and moonlit gutters, where rats \"swarm and scurry in the night.\" Rats are \"hated, hunted, trapped, and feared,\" and we see a harried woman bashing rats from her fire escape and rats approaching a skull-labeled mousetrap. But then Lunde, rat-apologist extraordinaire, suggests a broader view. Not all rats eat garbage; some, like the long-tailed marmoset rat, eat strictly bamboo. It continues from there: not all rats live in sewer pipes; some live in rivers. Not all rats scurry; some hop like a kangaroo. In smaller type, additional scientific information fills out further details about each atypical rat mentioned. Of course, none of this is quite enough to make rats cuddly, though there is a somewhat comical hard-luck-life expression in many of Gustavson's otherwise realistic oil depictions. The colors are especially evocative: the streaky browns of a tunnel, the steel blue of a street at night, the dark purple of mountain twilight. Rats: useful! Still kinda gross, though.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNSTA Recommends\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI like books that begin with a question for young readers and science students to think about before reading the book. This is one of those books. The book title asks young readers, \u003cem\u003eDirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book begins with a short sentence about dirty rats that “eat garbage and live in the sewers and subways”. Then illustrations of 10 rats in that environment appear on those pages. On the next two pages, another short statement about dirty rats that “swarm and scurry in the night\", followed by another illustration of rats doing exactly that. The next four pages are still about the rats that are “dirty, scary and ugly”. Followed by the words “Swat them! Trap them! Kill them! But wait….” The book tone suddenly turns to information and illustrations of rats that are not “dirty, scary or ugly”, but to rats around the world. In fact, the South American fish–eating rats swim in water and live along the clean mountain waterways. Also in the book is information about the banner–tailed kangaroo rat that does not scurry, but hops like a small kangaroo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author includes the ways that rats can help humans by being used as laboratory rats to understand why people could get sick. The author further points out that rats benefit our environment by helping to spread seeds and being part of the food chain. After presenting both sides and illustrations relating to the question of the book’s title,\u003cem\u003e Dirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e the author ends the book with the words that answer the book’s title with, “Maybe. Maybe not”. Also included in back of the book is more information about different kinds of rats. However, the narrative accompanying the illustrations is at a much higher reading level than the narrative in the book. In addition, there is a list of websites to learn more about rats. I would use this book by reading it aloud to young students, but students could independently read the narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was intrigued with this book, but wanted to experience 1st grade students’ reactions to it. I began with the book’s title, \u003cem\u003eDirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e and asked them if rats are dirty. Of course, the overwhelming responses were “Yes! They are!” I read it to them and showed the illustrations. During the beginning pages of the dirty rats, some of the students groaned and grimaced with each of the dirty rat pages. When I began to read about the other rats that live in different places, I asked the students if these rats were dirty and the responses I started to hear included, “Not so much”. By the time I had ended the book and asked again, “Are rats dirty?’ I actually heard many of the 1st grade students say, “Maybe, maybe not.” The book’s narrative and illustrations definitely accomplished what the purpose of the author seems to be. Maybe rats are dirty and maybe they aren’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/products\/dirty-rats-cvr.jpg?v=1430164047\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/dirty-rats-hires.zip?14307193770267397381\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-566-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-759-0 EPUB\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-623-4 PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e10 x 8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorrelated to Common Core State Standards:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade 1. Standards 1-8, 10\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade 2. Standards 1-4, 6, 8, 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]","published_at":"2015-04-27T16:18:00-04:00","created_at":"2015-04-27T15:46:43-04:00","vendor":"Charlesbridge","type":"Children's Book","tags":["Browse by Age_Ages 3-6","Browse by Age_Ages 6-10","Browse by Fiction\/Nonfiction_Nonfiction","Browse by Format_Picture Book","Browse by Language_English","Browse by Subject_Animals \u0026 Dinosaurs","Browse by Subject_Geography","Browse by Subject_Science \u0026 Nature"],"price":848,"price_min":848,"price_max":848,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":1695,"compare_at_price_min":1695,"compare_at_price_max":1695,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":1284056833,"title":"Hardcover","option1":"Hardcover","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"95668","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Dirty Rats? - Hardcover","public_title":"Hardcover","options":["Hardcover"],"price":848,"weight":369,"compare_at_price":1695,"inventory_quantity":100,"inventory_management":"shopify","inventory_policy":"continue","barcode":"978-1-58089-566-8","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[]}],"images":["\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/dirty-rats-cover.jpg?v=1586791390"],"featured_image":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/dirty-rats-cover.jpg?v=1586791390","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":"Dirty Rats? book cover","id":2473200943183,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.25,"height":480,"width":600,"src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/dirty-rats-cover.jpg?v=1586791390"},"aspect_ratio":1.25,"height":480,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/charlesbridgeteen.com\/cdn\/shop\/products\/dirty-rats-cover.jpg?v=1586791390","width":600}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR\/ILLUSTRATOR INFO BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy: \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/darrin-lunde\" title=\"Author Darrin Lunde\"\u003eDarrin Lunde\u003c\/a\u003e \/ Illustrated by: \u003ca title=\"Illustrator Adam Gustavson\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/adam-gustavson\"\u003eAdam Gustavson\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER HEADING BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRats are filthy and disgusting. Right?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - ENTER DESCRIPTION BELOW - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThink you know about rats? They’re dirty, disgusting, and spread diseases. They should be trapped and killed. The world would be better off without them. But, wait…\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat about laboratory rats that help scientists learn about disease and ways to ease human suffering? What about the animals that prey on rats for food? Or, how about African giant pouched rats whose heightened sense of smell is used by demolition experts to locate explosives in minefields?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are hundreds of rat species living all over the world. Rats have bad reputations, but they aren’t all bad. Many rats live clean, healthy lives and are a useful part of their ecosystems. Some are even—dare we say it—cute.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYoung readers are introduced to several species—including their binomial nomenclature—and learn where they live, what they eat, how they communicate, and more. Reluctant readers will be drawn to the gross-out factor, and learning more about an animal removes the fear and hate that comes from misunderstanding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdam Gustavson’s illustrations get down and dirty where rats live, including a bamboo forest at night, mountain streams, and the southwestern desert, as well as the sewers where we normally expect to find these creatures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"recommended-books\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you like this book, you’ll enjoy these:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca title=\"Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle\" href=\"http:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/behold-the-beautiful-dung-beetle\"\u003eBehold the Beautiful Dung Beetle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/hello-bumblebee-bat\" title=\"Hello, Bumblebee Bat\"\u003eHello, Bumblebee Bat\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.charlesbridge.com\/products\/meet-the-meerkat\" title=\"Meet the Meerkat\"\u003eMeet the Meerkat\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - START OF TABS - - - - - - - -- - - --\u003e [TABS]\n\u003ch5\u003eLook Inside\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg class=\"cvr-border-gray\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/dirty-rats-spread.jpg?6213956634227549812\"\u003e\u003c!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --\u003e\u003cscript src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\" data-pin-hover=\"true\" data-pin-height=\"32\" data-pin-shape=\"round\" defer async=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER AUTHOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAuthor \u0026amp; Illustrator\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDarrin Lunde, author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDarrin Lunde has worked as a mammalogist at the American Museum of Natural History and at the Smithsonian Institute. His work has brought him into contact with all kinds of animals, big and small, throughout the remote forests of South America, Africa, and Asia where he camped for months at a time to survey species diversity and to discover new species. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eHello, Bumblebee Bat\u003c\/i\u003e, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book, \u003ci\u003eAfter the Kill\u003c\/i\u003e, and other books about animals. He lives in Washington, DC.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Author Darrin Lunde\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/darrin-lunde\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Darrin\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - ENTER ILLUSTRATOR BIO BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdam Gustavson, illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdam received his Bachelor's degree in illustration from Rowan University and his Master's from the School of Visial Arts in New York. Adam has illustrated several picture books, including the award-winning Good Luck, Mrs. K! (Margaret K. McElderry). He also teaches at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey, and Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Illlustrator Adam Gustavson\" href=\"http:\/\/charlesbridge.myshopify.com\/pages\/adam-gustavson\"\u003eRead more\u003c\/a\u003e about Adam.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - ENTER AWARDS \u0026 HONORS BELOW - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eAwards \u0026amp; Honors\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNSTA\/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - ENTER REVIEWS BELOW - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eEditorial Reviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Smithsonian mammal specialist makes a bid to clean up the rat's rotten rep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnswering the titular question with \"Maybe. Maybe not,\" Lunde shifts readers' focus away from rats in urban environments to wild species-from the bamboo-eating long-tailed marmoset rat of Southeast Asia to the Philippines' bushy-tailed cloud rat. He also notes the important roles rats play in spreading seeds, feeding snakes and other predators, and (without getting too, or actually at all, specific) medical research. Gustavson joins the rescue operation with close-ups of rats rendered in naturalistic detail but looking more inquisitive than feral, sporting large pink ears and whiskery snouts. Some of the city settings are picturesquely grimy, but there are no dead creatures or images more disturbing than, in one scene, a white lab rat and a researcher in surgical garb locking eyes. On the contrary, another illustration even features a rat leaning in from the edge of the page to peer up at viewers, and a closing portrait gallery of selected rat species is equally fetching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot particularly convincing as a reclamation project but generally informative and easy on the eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew animals are as maligned as rats, something mammal specialist Lunde knows well. \"Dirty rats. Their beady eyes and naked tails make us scream. Eek! Aargh! Yikes!\" he writes as a frightened woman in hair curlers tries to sweep rats off her apartment's fire escape. Lunde sets out to challenge misconceptions about these ubiquitous rodents, while introducing different rats from around the world, pointing out how they vary significantly from those seen in urban subway stations (\"Not all rats have ugly, naked tails. The bushy-tailed cloud rat's tail is completely covered in fur\"). Readers learn how rats scatter seeds that enable plants to grow and how laboratory rats help find cures for disease. Gustavson's typically lush oil paintings do their part to help sway opinions-his sewer rats come across as intelligent, curious, and even adorable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBooklist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLunde starts out this closer—\u003cem\u003eshudder\u003c\/em\u003e—look at rats just how you might expect: in grimy subway tunnels and moonlit gutters, where rats \"swarm and scurry in the night.\" Rats are \"hated, hunted, trapped, and feared,\" and we see a harried woman bashing rats from her fire escape and rats approaching a skull-labeled mousetrap. But then Lunde, rat-apologist extraordinaire, suggests a broader view. Not all rats eat garbage; some, like the long-tailed marmoset rat, eat strictly bamboo. It continues from there: not all rats live in sewer pipes; some live in rivers. Not all rats scurry; some hop like a kangaroo. In smaller type, additional scientific information fills out further details about each atypical rat mentioned. Of course, none of this is quite enough to make rats cuddly, though there is a somewhat comical hard-luck-life expression in many of Gustavson's otherwise realistic oil depictions. The colors are especially evocative: the streaky browns of a tunnel, the steel blue of a street at night, the dark purple of mountain twilight. Rats: useful! Still kinda gross, though.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNSTA Recommends\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI like books that begin with a question for young readers and science students to think about before reading the book. This is one of those books. The book title asks young readers, \u003cem\u003eDirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book begins with a short sentence about dirty rats that “eat garbage and live in the sewers and subways”. Then illustrations of 10 rats in that environment appear on those pages. On the next two pages, another short statement about dirty rats that “swarm and scurry in the night\", followed by another illustration of rats doing exactly that. The next four pages are still about the rats that are “dirty, scary and ugly”. Followed by the words “Swat them! Trap them! Kill them! But wait….” The book tone suddenly turns to information and illustrations of rats that are not “dirty, scary or ugly”, but to rats around the world. In fact, the South American fish–eating rats swim in water and live along the clean mountain waterways. Also in the book is information about the banner–tailed kangaroo rat that does not scurry, but hops like a small kangaroo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe author includes the ways that rats can help humans by being used as laboratory rats to understand why people could get sick. The author further points out that rats benefit our environment by helping to spread seeds and being part of the food chain. After presenting both sides and illustrations relating to the question of the book’s title,\u003cem\u003e Dirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e the author ends the book with the words that answer the book’s title with, “Maybe. Maybe not”. Also included in back of the book is more information about different kinds of rats. However, the narrative accompanying the illustrations is at a much higher reading level than the narrative in the book. In addition, there is a list of websites to learn more about rats. I would use this book by reading it aloud to young students, but students could independently read the narrative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was intrigued with this book, but wanted to experience 1st grade students’ reactions to it. I began with the book’s title, \u003cem\u003eDirty Rats?\u003c\/em\u003e and asked them if rats are dirty. Of course, the overwhelming responses were “Yes! They are!” I read it to them and showed the illustrations. During the beginning pages of the dirty rats, some of the students groaned and grimaced with each of the dirty rat pages. When I began to read about the other rats that live in different places, I asked the students if these rats were dirty and the responses I started to hear included, “Not so much”. By the time I had ended the book and asked again, “Are rats dirty?’ I actually heard many of the 1st grade students say, “Maybe, maybe not.” The book’s narrative and illustrations definitely accomplished what the purpose of the author seems to be. Maybe rats are dirty and maybe they aren’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DOWNLOADABLES BELOW - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDownloadables\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/products\/dirty-rats-cvr.jpg?v=1430164047\" style=\"display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"btn-wrapper\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0750\/0101\/files\/dirty-rats-hires.zip?14307193770267397381\" class=\"product-btn\"\u003eDownload the Cover\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- - - - - - - - - - - - ENTER DETAILS BELOW - - - - - - - - - - - --\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDetails\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardcover\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-58089-566-8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE-book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-759-0 EPUB\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-60734-623-4 PDF\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges: 3-7\u003cbr\u003ePage count: 32\u003cbr\u003e10 x 8\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCorrelated to Common Core State Standards:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade 1. Standards 1-8, 10\u003cbr\u003eEnglish Language Arts-Literacy. Reading Informational. Grade 2. Standards 1-4, 6, 8, 10\u003c\/p\u003e\n[\/TABS]"}