  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 07/01/2006 Children fond of nonfiction that is laced with discomfiting—or downright revolting—information will happily fall upon this anecdotal look at the shared history of the animal kingdom’s greatest survivors. Along with portraying rats in many roles, from pests to pets, Marrin (best known for his histories for older readers) introduces rodent relatives and provides glimpses of rats’ habits and innate intelligence, as well as their history as disease carriers, lab animals, predators, and (“Grilled Rat, Bordeaux Style,” anyone?) even entrées. Red highlights (including red eyes on the rats and red borders on some of the pages) add an ominous tone to Mordan’s many naturalistic, deeply shadowed illustrations, which have the look of wood engravings. Although there are no source notes, Marrin closes with short lists of relevant fiction and nonfiction. Richard Conniff’s Rats! The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (2002) offers sometimes-arresting photographs and more specific information, but this book makes a pleasantly icky additional purchase. - Copyright 2006 Booklist. Loading...
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