With patience and practice anything is possible. Little rat learns whats most important is not giving up!

In this book we meet a little rat who doesn't like to practice her violin. Her family exposes her to all types of music and she loves to watch music, just not practice. Through this book you see little rats journey from a music listener to a music maker with passion. This book has a great message that even though you may want something very bad and it may not come easily that practice makes perfect. She starts to practice for her recital and then performs to find that the passion for violin has always been there. This is a great short chapter book for new readers or even great for a listener because the pictures certainly help tell their story with their colorful and detailed illustrations. ( )

Little Rat hits her stride here in her third book. Little Rat starts violin lessons and discovers it's not as easy as it looks to make beautiful music. Molly Bang's illustrations, done in pencil, gouache, and watercolor, add humor to the story as we see Little Rat's first note represented by a seagull and a squawk. There are some great turns of phrase that introduce early readers to figurative language ("getting herself to [practice] was like wrestling with a goat"), but in terms they understand. The depiction of learning to play the violin is spot on as well. ( )

This is a delightful easy reader book that has 8 short chapters. The story is a good one for children who don’t like to practice because it’s boring and hard. We learn about Little Rat and how the adults in her life encourage her, even when she has tantrums. Children will relate to her struggles and how she overcomes them in a realistic way. The illustrations are adorable and add a lot to the story.

Little Rat loves music and her family is all musical. So she's thrilled when her parents ask if she wants to play the violin....but it's not as she imagined. It makes ugly sounds, it's hard work, and her teacher is really tough. But her family and teacher won't give up on Little Rat, even when she's ready to quit. With some extra tutoring and inspiration, she'll discover the hard work is worth the final result.

This easy reader tells a story of music - the difficulties and rewards - with a determined but normal young heroine. Perfect for children who are struggling to get past that initial practicing stage in playing an instrument - or reading!

Verdict: This title won't appeal to everyone, but if you have parents who want books about perseverance, this is a good recommendation.

ISBN: 0152053050; Published August 2007 by Harcourt; Borrowed from the library