That Pesky Rat is a children's picture book by Lauren Child

Lauren Child

Lauren Child MBE is an English author and illustrator. She is best known for writing the Charlie and Lola books and Clarice Bean novels....

, published in 2002. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize

Nestlé Smarties Book Prize

The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...

 Gold Award and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal

Kate Greenaway Medal

The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...

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Plot

The story is narrated by a rat who wishes he could live the life of a proper pet. He visits several friends he has that are proper pets, including a chinchilla and a cat. However, he doesn't like the way any of them live. In the end, he puts up signs, asking if there is any one who wants a rat as a pet, and goes to a pet store. At the pet store, an old man sees the rat through the display window. He thinks that the rat is a cat, and takes him home to keep as a pet. In the end, the rat says that he doesn't mind pretending to be a cat and that he likes his life as a pet.

In 2008 a special UNESCO edition was published in the UK. All author and publisher profits from this book now go to support UNESCO projects around the world.