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January 2011 issue of School Library Journal GANTOS, Jack. Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph. illus. by Nicole Rubel. 48p. (Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader). CIP. Farrar. Feb. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-36354-3. LC 2009046091. Gr 1-3–Rotten Ralph has his future planned out. He’s designed his own baseball card, embellished his uniform with the words Superstar #1, and practiced how he’ll sign autographs and give interviews with the media. He hasn’t worked on his hitting, throwing, or running skills though. After tryouts, Ralph’s owner, Sarah, makes the team, but Ralph is designated the new “cat boy.” His duties include washing socks and sweeping the dugout. During the season, he is given different responsibilities, but his dreams of stardom never materialize. Ralph’s antics on and off the baseball field may seem rotten to some, but he manages to remain a superstar in Sarah’s eyes. There is never a dull moment in this colorful and appealing early reader.–Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada |
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The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph
The
Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph
Jack Gantos, illus. by Nicole Rubel. Houghton Mifflin, $16 (32p) ISBN
978-0-618-80046-9
-- Publishers
Weekly, 4/20/2009 Horn Book Review: Jack Gantos The Nine Lives of
Rotten Ralph; illus. by Nicole Rubel |
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It's hot and cold in Miami Rachel has theories about a lot of things - how she ended up with humongous beaver teeth, why tourist who visit Miami wear such ugly cloths, and why her father loves her identical twin sister, Rebecca, the most. Still, there are many things in Rachel's life that
even her best theories can't really explain. Why, for instance, does her
grandmother insist on feeding her honey cake every Sunday, when everyone knows
it tastes disgusting? Why did Rachel end up with the most ancient fifth grade
teacher in the school, a woman with amoeba-shaped stains under her arms? And why
is Rachel always in trouble, unlike Rebecca? In humor-filled prose and pictures, Nicole Rubel introduces us to a remarkable off-the-wall family - a father who sells novelty maracas for a living, a mother who is so gorgeous even orangutans fall in love with her, a sister who is perfect genius, and scattered Rachel - struggling to find her unique talent and self-confidence. ----- Comments from: Jewish Book World Summer 2007 “When Rachel’s own unique artistic talents are recognized, first by a perceptive teacher in Hebrew School, and then by a supportive substitute teacher who replaces ancient Miss Bunker, she finally overcomes her feelings of defeat and resolve her relationships within the family.”
Review
from The Horn Book's May/June 2006 issue.
Nicole Rubel It's Hot and Cold in Miami; illus. by the author 202 pp. Farrar 5/06 ISBN 0-374-33611-3 $17.00 (Intermediate) A child who lives with criticism will criticize. Rachel chafes under negative comparisons to her twin, yet judges herself especially harshly. Since Rebecca does better at school, Rachel imagines her sister has stolen half her brain. Rachel is the more imaginative one (that's often how she gets into trouble); unfortunately, she's become her family's scapegoat. It's not only her surroundings that blow hot and cold (a steamy 1964 Miami classroom; the frigid, air-conditioned synagogue); the adults she most depends on are difficult and unpredictable. Mom is embarrassingly beautiful, rudely abrupt, profoundly depressed; Dad's often away on business. Moody "Granny Fanny," still angry at the husband who left her during the Depression, swings from sweet to bitter in a trice. Neighbors are anti-Semitic. Blaming, bickering, yet subtly conveying to the reader their essential mutual attachment, the twins have lively adventures and vicissitudes that culminate when Rachel realizes that "Rebecca's brain is for schoolwork. My brain belongs to an artist." Rachel's candid, child's-eye view of her flawed family is perfectly reflected in Rubel's astute drawings, childlike save for the complex relationships and emotions they so deftly convey. J.R.L. -----
Review from BOOKLIST: Rubel, Nicole. It’s Hot and Cold in Miami; 208p. illus. Farrar, $16 (0-374-33611-3). Gr. 3–5. Although they are identical twins, fifth-graders Rachel and Rebecca Ringwood are as different as hot and cold. Rebecca has more than her share of the brains, winning the constant praise of her parents. Unfortunately, Rachel’s knack for getting into trouble attracts a different kind of attention, but her way of viewing the world, full of hilarious personal theories, allows her to rationalize the unfairness of life. Experiences, commonplace as well as sobering and unusual, are portrayed through Rachel’s wildly imaginative yet piercingly honest perspective: visiting a grandmother whose search for the perfect honey cake gives Rachel nightmares; gorging on Halloween candy while walking home to preempt confiscation of her goodies; plotting revenge against an anti-Semitic bully; living with a gorgeous mother, who sometimes can’t get out of bed to face the world. Even before Rachel’s artistic talents are finally recognized, readers know she is special. Rubel’s narrative and her distinctive illustrations capture the details that make Rachel’s daily adventures so appealing. —Nancy Kim ----- Kirkus Review April 2006It’s Hot And Cold In Miami by Nicole Rubel Illus. By the author. Farrar, Straus & Giroux Life is difficult and puzzling for Rachel, with an identical twin sister, Rebecca, who outshines her in every way. Rachel’s eclectic family consists of her traveling-salesman father, fashion-diva mother and doddery grandparents, who serve the same awful tasting honey cake each Sunday. Constantly in the shadow of her high-achieving sister, Rachel laments her feelings of inadequacy and theorizes about why her father loves her sister best, why Rebecca hates her and why her luck is so poor that she not only winds up with the worst teacher in school but constantly manages to cause trouble for Rebecca and herself. Rubel has moved from her multifaceted informational book about twins, Twice As Nice, into a fictitious scenario told from the perspective of an empathetic underdog in a voice filled with matter-of-fact resignation and some deserved angst. A twin herself, Rubel places her story in her 1960’s Miami and has created a lovable if not endearing character amid the bizarre and non-supportive vibes of an extended family. Ultimately, the introduction of a sensitive teacher in Hebrew School brings light to a little girl’s true talent, her artistic flair and subsequent self-confidence. Rubel’s own signature quirky pen-and-ink drawings round out the Floridian and American-Jewish milieu. |
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This mural of Pickles from "Ham and Pickles Start School," was completed at The Scott School in Salem, Oregon for my school visit March 8th, 2007.
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TWICE AS NICE has won a 2005 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award and will be featured in the 13th edition of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, and on their web site www.toyportfolio.com.
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| Sarah is excited about her school project on ancient Egypt. She would like Ralph's help. But his idea of helping out is no help at all. According to Sarah, the ancient Egyptians believed casts were wise and had special powers. Can Rotten Ralph prove them right? | |||
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| On the way to visit Ralph's cousin Percy, Sarah and Ralph see a billboard -the carnival is in town!Percy has been practicing games to win prizes, but Ralph thinks practicing is a bore. He'll win his own way... | |||
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From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 2-Ruthie decides that vegetables are gross and stops eating them, much to her family's dismay. Classic arguments abound and include that parental favorite, "we love you and we want you to be healthy," as well as the doctor's excellent threat, "your ears will fall off and your skin will turn blue" (she catches him winking). Her mother compromises and doesn't force mealtime vegetables if the child helps in the garden, which results in the anticipated conclusion. Rubel's trademark ink-and-marker illustrations fill each page with exuberant color and detail. The family pug appears in each scene, and the people sport fabulous wardrobes-on one occasion, Ruthie wears a jumper with poodles gracing the hem and Mom has a blue top with a sailboat, anchor, and fish pattern. This is a good story to share when kids become finicky at mealtime-the humor and satisfactory ending are sure to please. Pair it with Danny Schnitzlein's The Monster Who Ate My Peas (Peachtree, 2001) for a disgusting spin on this topic. Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. |
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| From
the School Library Journal "K-Gr 3- To counter the rules of his parents, sister, teacher, and even the crossing guard, Grody makes up a few of his own, such as "Rule Number One": "Don't get up in the morning. You're just going to have to go to bed again at night!" Best known as the illustrator of Jack Gantos's "Rotten Ralph" series (Houghton), Rubel brings the same kid-friendly sensibilities to the artwork here, incorporating markers, colored pencils, watercolor, fabric, fabric paint, and photographs. An inset on each spread shows the authority figure and rule that the pup is protesting, and the pictures are replete with humorous hyperbole. The point won't be lost on kids when, for example, Grody goes flying through the air because of "Rule Number Nine": "Always run down the stairs instead of walking. It saves time"; or employs his own dish-washing technique in "Rule Number Twelve": "Don't wash dirty dishes when you can lick them clean!" The final spread shows the effects of following the dog's rules, from "very dirty ears" to "unpleasant body odor." A true child-pleaser." Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. |
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| In britches and boots, and a
broad-brimmed hat to hide her long red hair, Ernestine looks as
much like a cowboy as any plucky young lass from Ireland ever
could. Along a dusty trail she crosses paths with Texas Teeth,
whose grin is brighter than a shooting star. He and his band of
rowdy cowhands have got themselves a herd of ornery cows, and
they're driving them on to Abilene. Hoping to earn enough for a
ticket back home, Ernestine joins the drive. Though she tends to
fall off her horse more than a few times a day, she finds she's
pretty durn good at lassoing calves. But will her skill be enough
to win her the grand prize at the Abilene Roping and Riding
Rodeo? Or will her dreams get roped and tied in the bargain? See the Jan. 22, 2001 Publisher's Weekly review where a star rating review has been awarded! ERNESTINE is an American Booksellers Association Kids’ Pick of the Lists A Cowboy Named Ernestine - A Junior Library Guild Selection Publish date March 2001: Dial/Putnam, ISBN 0-8037-2152-8 |
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| Sara's high-spirited, poorly
behaved cat, Ralph, disrupts her aunt's wedding with his
outlandish antics.
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The
World most irrepressible cat is back! His best friend
Sarah is going back to school. She wants to learn new
things and make new friends, and Rotten Ralph will do
anything to make sure he's not left behind. If that
means he has to wear a disguise and follow her to
school, he's happy to do it.
Will Ralph succeed
in sabotaging Sarah's attempts to fit in at her new
school? And even more importantly, will Rotten Ralph
retain his place as Sarah's number one friend?
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| Santa Claus is coming to town
and Rotten Ralph is determined to make the purrfect impression. Can the world's naughtiest cat
be nice for Christmas?
Pull back the flaps to see Rotten Ralph's hilarious
Christmas catastrophes as he and Sarah deck the halls!
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