Rating: - A Sympathetic Underdog
Hooway for Wodney Wat tells the story of a poor little rat named Rodney who suffers from a common speech problem, he pronounces his Rs as Ws. Poor Rodney is teased at school, isolated, and shy. One day things at school turn from bad to worse. First Camilla Capybara comes to town and she claims to be "Bigger than any of you, meaner than any of you, and smarter than any of you!" On top of being picked on by the horrible new bully, Rodney is selected to lead a game of Simon Says. Tiny and trembling, Rodney buries his face in his jacket and begins squeaking out the game's orders. But Camilla Capybara, new to the school, doesn't know about Rodney's speech impediment and begins following orders as she hears them. Read becomes Weed, Wrap become Wap, and Rest becomes West. Rodney's speech saves the day as Camilla Capybara leaves, never to bully the students of P.S. 142 again. And Rodney, the unlikely hero, is the one who has saved the day.

Lester presents a story that will have all audiences rooting for the timid underdog. Rodney is sympathetic while remaining relatable to children who have been picked on, or who have bullied. Munsinger's watercolor illustrations perfectly highlight the story, personifying the cute, fuzzy characters, capturing varied emotions and hilarious actions, as well as creating a vivid rodent world around them. In the end, Lester and Munsinger work well together to create a story that teaches tolerance between children, the idea that no one likes a bully, and that even the kids who feel shy or different, should stand up proud, and not be ashamed of what makes them special.

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Rating: - Hooway for Wodney Wat
Helen Lester's Hooway for Wodney (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), is a fun tale of a little rat with a problem. Wodney, or Rodney, has a speech impediment, and he can't pronounce his r's. His classmates, who ask him to pronounce words like "bunny" and "train", tease Rodney daily. Readers will surely feel for Rodney, who is so tormented by the bullying that he eats lunch alone and hides at recess. One day, a new student by the name of Camilla Capybara shows up, and she is the biggest, meanest, and smartest rodent in Rodney's classroom. Rodney wonders if she will tie him up with his own tail, or maybe even pounce on him. Rodney and his classmates are understandably upset by the new addition of Camilla, but a routine game of "Simon Says" and Rodney's cleverness turns the tables. With humorous illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, Hooway for Wodney is a triumphant tale of a shy little rat who becomes a hero.

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Rating: - Hooway for Wodney Wat!
Poor Wodney. Wodney Wat. Rodney Rat is a rodent who can't pronounce his r's in the picture book "Hooway for Wodney Wat," by Helen Lester (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999). Because his classmates tease him day in and day out, Rodney has become the shyest rodent in school, he has the softest squeak in class, he eats his hunk of cheese alone, and he buries his head in his jacket during recess. When Camilla Capybara comes to P.S. 142 Elementary School for Rodents and declares she is the biggest, meanest, and smartest, all the rodents tremble with fear, especially Wodney. What will Camilla do if she hears Wodney speak? Tie him up with his own tail? When Wodney is picked to be the leader of Simon Says, Wodney's nightmare becomes reality. But to his surprise, his speech impediment turns him from shy squeaker to classroom hero. Young readers will enjoy the cute and playful illustrations and laugh with the word play of the text. Any young reader who has ever been teased or bullied will find this book a satisfying and uplifting read and will be most certainly be cheering "Hooway for Wodney Wat! Woot! Woot! Wooty-toot-toot!"

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Rating: - Not really a fan
Wodney suffers from a common problem - he says w instead of r. That in and of itself should have been okay, but he's shown being teased mercilessly by the other students. No adult notices and steps in, even when he's unable to speak up in class and either totally ostracised or - slightly better - so shy from this treatment that he avoids the other rodents entirely and never even pokes his head out of his jacket.

This is realistic enough - unfortunately - but that doesn't make it pleasant for me to read to my nieces.

When a new bully comes and bullies the rest of the class, they don't learn the moral lesson "Bullying people isn't fun". Instead, Wodney turns her ignorance of his disability against her. The children laugh at her, and she runs off. "And they lived happily ever after and never teased him again." Of course, if he hadn't been able to use his Special Skill to help him then the other students would have continued to tease him, right?

It's a very unsettling moral message, and not one I really like.

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Rating: - Hooway for Wodney Wat
Munsinger's expressive watercolors give the comical rats depth and personality. A great help for children with speech problems. How not being able to pronounce r's and being teased about it can turn into an asset. Wodney ends up saving his whole class from Camilla Capybera who is smarter, bigger and meaner than the other students. She takes him literally when he gives her and the group directions to wake(rake) the leaves and go west(rest)and she leaves in that direction. This turns Wodney into a hero.