Okay, honestly? I finished the story and I really liked it. But I would totally not recommend this to most 6-9-year-olds although I can think of a number of upper elementary or middle school kids that would love it. It's a cautionary tale and it is definitely dark, much like Grimm's fairy tales. There is gruesome death, although this is not illustrated. I loved the simple and bright illustrations because they contrasted all the more with the dark story. I had to admit I was cackling by the end! Okay, I might be a little twisted, lol. But I really do think this book would be better for older kids and adults. I listened to the little audio sample and liked the reader for it, but the clip did not indicate just how dark it was going to be. I would be curious if the reader is able to give the reading the nuance it needs to have me cackling by the end!

Thanks to #WilkieJMartin, #NetGalley, and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely a dark tale for children, but I loved it as an adult. I love how sneakily we get to see the Rat dominating the good-willed mouse and the gerbil, with whom he is sharing a boat in the middle of the sea. The Rat convinces/deceives them into giving him more food and water, so he gets stronger and the fellow partners get weaker. Later on, he dominates the whole ship, but his arrogance and greed will result in his downfall as well. It would give a good example of the importance of not being selfish and survival as a group, but a kid might be scared of all the evil the Rat represents. It might be better to promote it for an older target group. Special thanks to NetGalley and The Witcherley Book Company for an ARC.

Play fair

It made me laugh and the fat rat gets his just desserts in the end. Children 8 and over I think.

Definitely a dark tale for children, but I loved it as an adult. I love how sneakily we get to see the Rat dominating the good-willed mouse and the gerbil, with whom he is sharing a boat in the middle of the sea. The Rat convinces/deceives them into giving him more food and water, so he gets stronger and the fellow partners get weaker. Later on, he dominates the whole ship, but his arrogance and greed will result in his downfall as well. It would give a good example of the importance of not being selfish and survival as a group, but a kid might be scared of all the evil the Rat represents. It might be better to promote it for an older target group. Special thanks to NetGalley and The Witcherley Book Company for an ARC.

This story was a bit long, but I liked it. It’s not one of those everything is happy and hunky dory stories. It reminds me of the folktales like Catskinella and The Two Jakes from The People Could Fly. There are real world consequences to real world problems, and if do do things wrong, karma will bite you in the bum. Literally in this case.