The book didn't help me understand the rat. It gave encyclopedic bits of information that ended up being hung in the air and eventually forgotten. What I hoped was to understand what a rat thinks, how a rat feels, why a rat behaves in certain ways etc.

King Rat of China Mieville does a better job at what I was looking for actually, but being a fiction the correctness of the information is not granted.

I read this for work. I feel bad giving it two stars. It was very well-written and well-researched. I am sure that the kids will enjoy reading it immensely. It was one of the most disgusting books I have read. Seriously. I felt quite sick in some places. I am generally not squeamish, so this came as a bit of a surprise.

Rats are pretty cool. There are awesome parts in this book and there are discusting parts. Some people will like it, and I really did!

This book was weirdly fascinating. My 5th graders loved it!

from Lee:

Over the years, the cover of Oh, Rats! has attracted my attention. I finally picked it up and was pleased to discovered that it was a pretty quick and enjoyable read even though I am neither drawn to rats nor a particularly voracious reader of nonfiction.

Marrin opens his book anecdotally with a boyhood surprise encounter with a rat a construction site. The author, at seven, was viscerally terrified and ran faster than he had “ever done before or since,” and ends up in tears, covered in cement, in his father’s arms.

'Pa told me not to be afraid. Rats were always around construction jobs… “Take it easy, kid,” he said in that calm way of his. “Learn about them; you'll feel better.”

And I did.’

The author shares many interesting ways these tenacious and omnipresent creatures interact with each other and humans. Do you know what a rat king is? Do you know where rats are considered a delicacy and where their hair and feces are considered an unavoidable “ingredient” in common foods? Do you know which useful jobs they do for humans? The tone, while largely level and conversational, seems at times to suggest that the author might still secretly retain a squeamish bias from childhood. I enjoyed his polymath approach (pulling from scientific, literary, etymological, historical, and cultural sources) to what quickly became a fascinating subject.

C.B. Mordan's black, white, and red illustrations are themselves reason enough to turn the page.

This book is a wonderful book for you if you want to learn or love rats. I personally love rats, so I found this book very interesting and informative. I recommend you to read this book, because you will find lots of fun facts and they will amaze you.

Solid intro to a majestic creature. Quick read for youngsters or anyone who just wants a short overview. Some revolting bits, but mostly inspires respect for these tiny mammalian survivors. Hopefully more recent editions have updated the section re: their role in the bubonic plague, as they’ve been exonerated and need a corresponding bit of rebranding.

Cute book that highlighted the pros and cons, history, health, and behaviors of wild and captive rats. I only knocked off a star because the language was a bit dry at times, and I would've loved more artwork. :-)

Who would've thought that the pesky rat has such a rich history. And it turns out it's not all bad. Rats, there go my rodential misconceptions! Gotta love reading nonfiction.

A quick read, chock-full of interesting information about rats. Can't believe I waited this long to read it - so interesting to read all the tidbits.

Rats! Rats! Rats! I did not know there was so much information about rats. Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People, by Albert Marrin, is a fascinating book. Among other interesting facts we learn about different kinds of rats, their habits, the history of rats, and how rats are viewed and in different parts of the world. I never thought I could be so interested in information about rats. Kids would love this book! This book is appropriate for middle grades. It could be used for a research paper.

Extremely informative and entertaining!