Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

Rodney Rat, who can't pronounce his rs, is the shyest, most miserable kid in school, until one day he saves his classmates from the mean bully Camilla Capybara. Wodney's transformation from cowering to empowered is beautifully underscored in the humorous, expressive illustrations. Appealingly, Wodney doesn't need to overcome his impediment to be liked--and it's the impediment itself and Wodney's clever use of it that foils the villain.

ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

The team responsible for the Tacky the Penguin books and ^IPrincess Penelope's Parrot^R (1996), among others, is in rare form in this picture book, in which a swell little guy proves himself a hero to his tormentors. Wodney Wat has a problem: he can't pronounce the letter r, which makes him the butt of constant jokes and teasing. He's so distressed, in fact, that he routinely buries his head in his jacket--the closest he can come to actually disappearing. He thinks he's really in for it when big, mean, smart Camilla Capybara appears in Miss Fuzzleworth's classroom. But the tables are deftly turned when Wodney is tapped to lead a game of Simon Says: when he says Go West after a tough round of play, guess who does. Munsinger's well-detailed illustrations are superbly funny, a perfect complement to a comical story that will not only make kids laugh but also hearten those who feel they'll be outsiders forever.