Hooway for Wodney Wat

Mercilessly teased by his classmates because he can't enunciate the letter "r", Rodney Rat tends to keep a low verbal profile in class, avoids others during recess, and gnaws his lunch alone. Based on the 1999 ALA Notable Children's Book written by Helen Lester (who also narrates here) and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, this iconographic-animated adaptation tells the story of Rodney's transition from object of ridicule to hero after his speech impediment proves instrumental in ridding the class of the dreaded Camilla Capybara, a self-professed bigger, meaner, and smarter new girl who bullies the other rodents. Camilla's downfall comes when Rodney is chosen by Miss Fuzzleworth to lead a game of "Simon Says" (when Rodney says "wake the leaves," Camilla tries--in vain--to resuscitate them while the other kids laugh and rake, and when he says "go west," Camilla does exactly that, never to be seen again). A clever marginalized-kid-makes-good story, this is recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)