Able to claw straight up a brick wall, squeeze through a pipe the width of a quarter, and gnaw through iron and concrete, rats are also revealed in this fascinating book to be incredibly intelligent and capable of compassion. Weaving together science, history, culture, and folklore, award-winning writer Albert Marrin offers a look at rats that goes from the curious to repulsive, horrifying to comic, fearsome to inspiring. Arresting black-and-white scratchboard illustrations with bold red accents add visual punch to this study of a creature that has annoyed, disgusted, nourished, and intrigued its human neighbours for centuries.
Albert Marrin is the author of many award-winning nonfiction books for young people and is the recipient of many honors, including the Washington Post Nonfiction Award for "outstanding lifetime contribution [that] has enriched the field of children's literature."
C. B. Mordan has illustrated several children's books, including Silent Movie by Avi and Guinea Pig Scientists by Mel Boring and Leslie Dendy. He lives in Kansas.