Susan Meddaugh

I was born a rat.
I expected to be a rat all my days.
But life is full of surprises.

Cinderella’s Rat is not a fractured fairytale per se—that is, an updated retelling of the tale for the times. Susan Meddaugh actually does one better than “modernizing” the story. Forget Cinderella who, in the end, finds herself living the life of a very lucky princess. Her story’s been told a thousand times. Who cares anymore? Providing the perspective of the much maligned “ugly” stepsisters or show more their nasty mother is also a bit predictable.

What Meddaugh does instead is focus on the poor rat boy who is involuntarily transformed into the coachman who operates Cinderella’s pumpkin conveyance. Can you imagine the discombobulation of a rat finding himself in human form, wearing fancy human garments and having to control horses, yet fully retaining the instincts of a rat? I had not, but Meddaugh has, and she’s told a surprising and charming little tale with a twist— from the first-person point of view of that lowly creature.

After transporting Cinderella to the castle, the rat/coach-boy is, of course, “drawn like a magnet” to the kitchen, where he’s put to use fetching things from the larder for the cook. Seeing a room full of food and following his rat instincts, he can’t help but gorge on a sack of grain. A boy servant observes this and advises the rat/coach-boy that wheat is much tastier in the form of bread. The two become quick friends. Interrupted by an actual rat as he chats with his new pal, the coach-boy looks on in horror: it’s his sister Ruth and the servant is about to stomp on her! He manages to convince the other boy that Ruth’s under a spell.

Meddaugh’s plot now thickens. Eager to be helpful, the servant boy takes his new friend and Ruth to a wizard, who, it is hoped, can turn the rat into a girl. The wizard, unfortunately, is third rate and can’t fully effect the required change. Ruth is first transformed into a cat, then a girl who meows, and finally a girl who . . .well, you’ll see.Meanwhile, the clock is ticking; midnight approaches and the coach-boy is due to resume his natural rat form.

Yes, life is indeed surprising. The rat, former coachman to Cinderella herself, and his family will ultimately reside in comfort with his sister. Since her encounter with the wizard on the fateful evening of the ball, Ruth has lived as a human female and is more equipped than ever to protect her brother and his offspring. They all live together in a house, and there is no reason to fear their greatest enemy, the cat. The third-rate wizard failed to provide Ruth with the human capacity for speech. No. Ruth barks instead. show less

Author/illustrator Susan Meddaugh tells the story of the rat-turned-coachman from that famous fairy-tale Cinderella in this amusing picture book. Trapped with his sister in a rat cage, our murine hero is transformed by Cinderella's fairy godmother, and dutifully takes her to the ball. While she's off dancing the rat explores the castle kitchen and makes a friend. But what happens when this new human friend sees his sister, and is horrified? A visit to a local wizard is in order, but even show more that doesn't quite solve everything...

I'm on something of a Cinderella kick at the moment, so when I saw Cinderella's Rat recommended on the page of another retelling, I immediately requested it from my library. I've actually read another version of the story of the rat coachman from this famous tale, in the form of Bridget Hodder's children's novel, The Rat Prince, so I was curious to see what Meddaugh would do with the material. On the whole I was entertained, appreciating some of the unexpected twists and turns the story took, as well as the happy if unorthodox ending. The accompanying artwork, done in Meddaugh's own cartoon-like style, enhanced the humor of the tale. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers, especially those who've wondered what happened to the animals pressed into service in Cinderella. show less

Helen and her dog Martha - dressed as a witch and her cat for Halloween - find themselves in a very unusual supermarket when they follow an older woman on the street, determined to return her lost coupon to her. "Members only. Trespassers Will Be Sorry. No Dogs Allowed" say the signs on the door, and the food for sale - from rotten eggs to poison mushrooms - make it evident that this isn't the kind of supermarket your average mother frequents! When she is unexpectedly confronted by the store show more manager, and gives the game away, Helen (along with Martha) finds herself facing a gaggle of angry witches. Will they get out in time...?

Susan Meddaugh, whose many beloved picture-books about Martha the dog have been turned into a PBS television show, here delivers an engagingly witchy tale, perfect for Halloween! Her trademark visual humor - how unhappy Martha looks, when put in a cat costume! haha! - is everywhere to be seen. Many of the little details, in the supermarket itself - the different product names, for instance - will delight attentive young readers, who will be wishing that they might stumble across a witch's supermarket themselves! show less

The classic fairy-tale theme of the much put-upon youngest child who is aided by a magical practitioner is turned on its head in Susan Meddaugh's amusing The Witch's Walking Stick. Young Margaret, living with her bossy older brother and sister, who make her do all of the work, happens upon an old witch in the woods, after deciding to run away, and agrees to help her regain her lost walking stick. Of course, this witch is a nasty individual, and has no intention of giving Margaret a suitable show more reward. Thankfully though, Margaret inadvertently discovers the secret of the walking stick, and uses it for her own purposes, foiling the witch's plot (and putting her brother and sister in their place) almost accidentally...

Although I cannot say that I enjoyed this quite as much as Susan Meddaugh's other witchy picture-book, The Witches' Supermarket, which had much more of a classic Halloween flavor to it, this was still an engaging tale. Meddaugh, who is best known as the creator of Martha books, always manages to include a winsome canine character in her stories, and this was no exception, as Margaret gains a doggy friend (among other things) during the course of the tale. Recommended primarily to young readers who enjoy stories in the same vein as fairy-tales, and to fans of the author/artist. show less