Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell
Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell
Jack Gantos
* * *
ROTTEN RALPH'S SHOW and TELL
Written by Jack Gantos
Illustrated by Nicole Rubel
Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
* * *
To my family—N.R.
To Seth—J.G.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gantos, Jack.
Rotten Ralph's show and tell/written by Jack Gantos and
illustrated by Nicole Rubel.
p. cm.
Summary: Sarah takes her rotten cat Ralph to school for Show and
Tell and he behaves terribly, as usual, by spoiling everyone's show.
ISBN 0-395-44312-1
[1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Behavior—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction.]
I. Rubel, Nicole, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.G15334Rol 1989 89-30911
[E]—dc19 CIP
PAP ISBN 0-395-60285-8 AC
The character of Rotten Ralph was originally created by
Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel.
Text copyright © 1989 by John B. Gantos, Jr.
Illustrations copyright © 1989 by Leslie Rubel
All rights reserved. For information about permission
to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue
South, New York, New York 10003.
Printed in China
SCP 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Ralph is Sarah's rotten cat but Sarah loves him anyway.
One morning Sarah went to take her violin to school for Show and Tell. But Rotten Ralph had broken the strings.
"Ralph," said Sarah, "I wish you wouldn't be so rotten."
And when she went to get her stamp collection, Rotten Ralph had licked the stamps and pasted them all over himself.
"Ralph!" cried Sarah. "Now I have nothing to take to school."
Then she said, "Ralph, I'll have to take you. But you must promise to be good and remember your ABC's so you can write them for the class."
"I promise," Ralph thought to himself.
On the school bus Sarah was very proud of Ralph. He kept his hands to himself. He didn't stick out his tongue. And he didn't trip anyone with his tail, even though he wanted to.
"Oh, Ralph," said Sarah. "We'll be sure to win first prize."
When Show and Tell started, the teacher called on one of Sarah's friends.
"This is my red ant farm," she said. But before she could finish, Ralph knocked over the ant farm and all the red ants escaped.
"Don't be so rotten, Ralph," whispered Sarah. "And think of your ABC's."
"This is my favorite home movie," said another student.
But when he turned on the projector, Rotten Ralph made frightening hand shadows on the screen.
"When the teacher calls on me, Ralph," said Sarah, "I want you to behave."
Next a student took them outside to show off his prize pumpkin. But Rotten Ralph put it on his head and chased everyone around.
Finally it was Sarah's turn. She walked Ralph to the front of the classroom. "This is my smart cat, Ralph," she said. "He knows how to write his ABC's." But Ralph only wanted to be rotten. He beat the erasers together and covered everyone with chalk dust.
Then he scratched his claws across the blackboard until everyone's ears hurt.
"Please, please behave yourself, Ralph," cried Sarah, "or we won't win first prize."
Sarah's teacher was upset.
"I'm going to give you one more chance," he said.
"Now go sit in the back of the class and write your ABC's."
But when Rotten Ralph tried, he got them all mixed up.
So he rang the school bell before it was time to go home.
"The only prize your cat has won is the dunce cap," said Sarah's teacher. And he made Ralph sit all alone during lunch break.
After school Sarah decided to walk home.
On the way Ralph felt bad for not winning. He knew that he was as smart as everyone else.
"It's okay if you can't do your ABC's," said Sarah.
"I still love you anyway."
When they got home, Sarah made him his favorite cake.
But Ralph wasn't hungry. Instead, he wrote his ABC's into the icing on the cake.
Then he jumped up onto Sarah's lap and she pasted a big gold star on his nose.
"Oh, Ralph," said Sarah. "You're smart enough for me."
Jack Gantos, Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell
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