Reviews: (by author)

Wersba, Barbara. Walter: the Story of a Rat. Illus. Donna Diamond. Asheville: Front Street, 2005. $16.95

Walter is a most unusual rat. He was born with the ability to read and a voracious appetite for the printed word. Luckily for him, he winds up sharing a house with Amanda Pomeroy, an author of children's books. This gentle tale traces the development of their relationship and the blossoming of a friendship that enriches both their lives.
At first, Walter is content to co-exist anonymously with his adopted host. He is, after all, an old rat and wise to the ways of people. Most humans he has encountered take a dim view of his species, though for reasons he has never fully grasped. Rather than risk his habitat, Walter remains aloof and alone, leading a bookish life until he happens upon the collected works of his unwitting landlady while browsing in her library. To his chagrin, all Miss Pomeroy's stories feature mice! Not a single rat can be found among her characters. Walter's sense of injustice mounts as he explores the literature, only to find his species sorely underrepresented. At last, driven beyond endurance, he leaves Miss Pomeroy a note that reads: "My name is Walter. I live here too." And so begins the prickly romance of a misanthropic spinster and her unusual houseguest. Tentatively at first and then with increasing confidence and concern the two share thoughts and feelings. Donna Diamond's exquisite pencil drawings perfectly capture the quiet, candlelit mood of this enchanting story.

- Mark Janssen, March 2006