Though this 1999 book did not come from my childhood, it is still a favorite. This book by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger is a charming little book about a rodent with a speech impediment. Something I know all too much about. Wodney Wat (aka Rodney Rat) has a problem with his r's. They're all w's. Having suffered this problem then and now, I must say I have quite a large soft spot for our hero, Wodney. The first pages show him reading such books as "Squeak up" and "Clear Squeaking" and "Pwonunciate." He does look a bit worried. And we soon see why, the next two pages reveal that the other rodents tease him by asking questions with "r" answers. (Boy, I know how that feels!!!) And as the story goes on, we learn that "all of this teasing day in and day out made Wodney the shyest rodent in his elementary school. His squeak could barely be heard in class. He gnawed lunch alone. And while the other rodents scurried and scotted about at recess, Wodney hid inside his jacket." But Wodney's life changes when a new girl enters the class. In ways NObody suspected. Can Wodney the Wodent go from being the shyest to being the big 'hero' on the playground? Read and see in this picture book about teasing, bullying, and self-acceptance.
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