Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes
Having adored "Princess Prunella," I was excited to sink my teeth into Atwood's next children's book. Overall, I was quite disappointed with it. The format is much like Princess Prunella, this time it was sponsored by the letter "R". I found the storyline lacking, and the wild "R" adjectives to be somewhat gratuitous. I kept trying to think of which niece or nephew, cousin, or little friend would appreciate this book, and I couldn't come up with anyone. There are so many difficult words in it, that the whole read would be an explanation, and most kids I know want to hear a STORY, and would get impatient at the constant explaining.
The story itself is about a boy who lives with horrible relatives who whip food at him when he refuses to eat it. The boy, Rude Ramsay, runs away and comes upon greener pastures, making a new friend, Rillah, who has been abandoned by her family -- these are some difficult concepts to explain to kids who are still in their literal stage.
Of course, the book is well written, and it is fun for the adult reading it, but I am not so sure about the audience. After much thinking, my 8-year-old very precocious and extremely bright cousin came to mind, as a kid who would eat the book up. He is one in a million, though.
The illustrations are great, and work well with the text.
