Hooway for Wodney Wat

March 15, 1999
The creators of Tacky the Penguin take on a sensitive childhood issue and deliver their message with humor. Rodney Rat pronounces his name Wodney Wat because of a speech impediment. His classmates taunt him mercilessly, and, in irresistible portraits, the humiliated fellow hides inside his jacket, pulling it up over his face. But his fortune changes with the arrival of an oversize new student, Camilla Capybara, who plows into the room and announces that she's bigger, meaner and smarter than anyone else. The bully proceeds to intimidate her peers until a game of Simon Says, with Wodney as leader, finally ends her reign of terror. While everyone else knows what to do--"Wodney says wake the leaves" and "go west"--Camilla does not and follows orders literally. Indignant at being laughed at, she indeed heads west, never to be seen again. Predictably, Wodney's former tormentors proclaim him a hero and never tease him again. Wodney's transformation from forlorn to triumphant will have children cheering. Ages 4-8.

December 1, 1999
PreS-Gr 3-A shy rat who can't pronounce his r's rises to the occasion and outsmarts a new student who terrorizes the classroom. An ego booster for any child who has ever been bullied or teased, with illustrations that exude charm and personality. (May)

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 1999
Rodney Rat, who can't pronounce his "r" s, is the shyest, most miserable kid in school, until one day he saves his classmates from the mean bully Camilla Capybara. Wodney's transformation from cowering to empowered is beautifully underscored in the humorous, expressive illustrations. Appealingly, Wodney doesn't need to overcome his impediment to be liked--and it's the impediment itself and Wodney's clever use of it that foils the villain.

(Copyright 1999 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 1999
Ages 4^-7. The team responsible for the Tacky the Penguin books and "Princess Penelope's Parrot" (1996), among others, is in rare form in this picture book, in which a swell little guy proves himself a hero to his tormentors. Wodney Wat has a problem: he can't pronounce the letter "r," which makes him the butt of constant jokes and teasing. He's so distressed, in fact, that he routinely buries his head in his jacket--the closest he can come to actually disappearing. He thinks he's really in for it when "big, mean, smart" Camilla Capybara appears in Miss Fuzzleworth's classroom. But the tables are deftly turned when Wodney is tapped to lead a game of Simon Says: when he says "Go West" after a tough round of play, guess who does. Munsinger's well-detailed illustrations are superbly funny, a perfect complement to a comical story that will not only make kids laugh but also hearten those who feel they'll be outsiders forever. ((Reviewed May 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 1, 1999
PreS-Gr 3-An underdog who can't say his "r"s suffers unmerciful teasing until he saves his classmates from Camilla Capybara, who announces and then proves that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than anyone else in the class. However, when Camilla is not quite observant enough to detect Rodney's speech impediment, a game of Simon Says becomes her downfall. As leader, the young rat squeaks "Wodney says go west," and instead of resting, Camilla stomps off to the west never to return, making Rodney an instant hero. Munsinger's watercolor with pen-and-ink illustrations positively bristle with humor and each rat, mouse, hamster, and capybara is fully realized as both rodent and child. Children will empathize with Rodney as he hides his head in his jacket and eats lunch all alone. Bullies may not want to recognize themselves in Camilla but the battle cry "bigger...meaner...smarter" is hard to deny. Hooway is wight...er, right. Wodney Wat is wonderful.-Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.