The Infamous Ratsos

Since their dear mother's departure, Ralphie and Louie Ratso want only one thing: to emulate their father, a tough rat named Big Lou. "'There are two kinds of people in this world,' Big Lou likes to say. 'Those who are tough, and those who are soft.'" And, by golly, tough is what the Ratso brothers are going to be. They walk to school because softies ride the bus; during recess, they spit on the blacktop and glare at everyone because only softies run and play. To cement their tough-guy reputations, the brothers decide to play mean tricks on their classmates and neighbors. But their plans quickly go awry. First the boys swipe the hat a bully is wearing, unwittingly rescuing it for Tiny Crawley, its rightful owner, and becoming instant playground heroes. "We need to step up our game," says Louie. But each successive attempt at being tough backfires, giving newly independent readers lots of room for making predictions concerning the failed outcomes, and winning sterling reputations for the Ratsos. What will happen when Big Lou finds out? Time for another prediction, more complicated, but one for which LaReau has laid the groundwork. Generous black-and-white illustrations evoke setting (a rundown city neighborhood) as well as reinforce the storyline and the light tone of the text, with its natural vocabulary. Here's a beginning chapter book with heart. betty carterSeptember/October 2016 p 112

Wanting to emulate their father, a tough rat named Big Lou, Louie and Ralphie Ratso decide to play mean tricks on classmates and neighbors. But each attempt at being tough backfires--winning sterling reputations for the Ratsos. What will happen when Big Lou finds out? Generous black-and-white illustrations evoke the rundown-city setting and reinforce the text's light tone. A beginning chapter book with heart.