The Rambles of a Rat

A warehouse beside the Thames offers a young rat and his seven brothers a comfortable supply of food and endless opportunities for mischief. Their narrator recalls life near Poplar, where his curiosity about people is encouraged by Furry, an elderly blind rat with plenty of experience to share. Among the brothers is Oddity, whose unusual markings and awkward movements make him the target of teasing that the story asks its young readers to reconsider.

A. L. O. E. combines this animal adventure with lessons in kindness and observations drawn from natural history. The rat later follows Whiskerandos along a mooring rope onto a ship, finding a hiding place in Captain Blake’s cabin and watching the captain’s son adjust to life afloat. Human habits look different from this small observer’s viewpoint. The mixture of talking animals, practical dangers and moral reflection gives readers a way to consider sympathy for creatures usually treated as pests.