That Pesky Rat

All profits from this new edition of Lauren Child’s 2002 picture book will go to UNICEF’s Programme for the Education of Children in Need. This charming tale of a rat who lives on the streets, while perhaps not in the front rank of Child’s work, has the pictorial and design flair and quirky humour that we have come to expect. Now Pesky Rat’s search for a friend and a roof over his head comes with a six page epilogue about UNESCO’s work with destitute children and, in particular, Lauren Child’s involvement with the ‘My Life is a Story’ project. This addition, while it includes messages from four children involved in the project in different parts of the world, is aimed more perhaps at the purchasing adult than the reading child. However, with adult help, children will readily see the connection between Pesky Rat’s life and longings and those of these homeless children, even if the solutions to their problems cannot come quite as easily. Congratulations to Lauren Child and Hachette Books for their commitment to the project and for using this means to bring it to wider attention.