https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/redeeming-rhubarb-bob-richley
Must read 🏆
One of the finest young adult stories I’ve read in recent memory. If I could score a book above 5 stars, this would be it.
Synopsis
She’s taught that they are evil-until one saves her family.
Strawberry the mouse has always believed rats are dangerous. Her father, Rhubarb, made sure of that. But when a devastating flood destroys her home, she’s forced to survive alongside the very creatures she fears most.
Then, the unthinkable happens-a rat named Barnabas risks his own life to save her family.
Could her father be wrong?
Now Strawberry must find the courage to question what she’s been told…and help her father see the truth before it’s too late.
Inspired by the real 2013 Boulder, Colorado, floods, Redeeming Rhubarb is a thrilling and heartfelt adventure about courage and choosing kindness over fear.
“Enemies can become friends, but it takes a long time to trust.” This delightful fiction story gently shows readers young and old how to do just that.
Rhubarb the mouse lives with his family in a decrepit factory in Colorado. He harbors deep resentment towards rats after his brother was killed by one. When Barnabas the poetry-writing rat and his family move in, Rhubarb isn’t exactly turning cartwheels. But his wife Sherry, a formidable mouse in her own right, welcomes the new neighbors along with their mice children and a particularly precocious daughter named Strawberry (Hello, Reepicheep!).
Meanwhile, Miley the cat is hungry. So are her kittens. While searching for her son Milo, mama cat winds up in a scrape with a pack of street dogs. The pack leader is Bailey, a Rottweiler. How this unlikely menagerie establishes common ground with each other and a kindly veterinarian named Bart will wring tears from a turnip in this unforgettable story of adventure, courage, faith, kindness, and grace. Oh, and “the letter”? I cried.
Warm and winsome, the writing style is reminiscent of beloved children’s authors like Beatrix Potter and E.B. White. Although the story deals with some weighty themes, it avoids coming across as preachy or pedantic. The plot is packed with adventures both human and animal. Briskly paced, the story will keep readers turning pages until the very end.
Sparkling with wit and whimsy, Redeeming Rhubarb strikes just the right balance between action/adventure fantasy and heartwarming parable. Think Aesop’s Fables meets Stuart Little. From mice and rats to cats and dogs and a dedicated veterinarian with a heart of gold, the characters leap off the page and into your heart.
Tip: Alert readers will note the deliberate pairing of two classic flavors in this novel, Strawberry and Rhubarb. (Preferably with a light, flakey crust.) That is no accident. It’s also quite clever. And the cover art? Well. Who can resist that?
Inspired by the devastating floods that swept through Boulder, Colorado in 2013, Redeeming Rhubarb is a winsome mix of adventure, peril, and second chances. It includes themes of prejudice, courage, kindness, and forgiveness. It’s structurally sound and gently faith-flavored, imparting valuable life lessons without sermonizing. Indeed, Redeeming Rhubarb is sure to be a hit with its target audience of children ages thirteen to eighteen. Note: Though written for young adults, the story and its Christian themes will have broad appeal to older audiences as well.
Finally, if I could score a book above five stars, this would be it. In fact, Redeeming Rhubarb is one of the finest young adult stories I’ve read in recent memory. You’ll love it! And that’s no “pie crust promise”!
Reviewed by
Lifelong bibliophile. Library Board Member. Select book reviews featured on my blog and Goodreads, etc. I’m a frank but fair reviewer, averaging 400+ books/year in a wide variety of genres on multiple platforms. For a possible feature on my blog, see: https://pagesandpaws.com/rating-system/
Kirkus Reviews
An engaging condemnation of bigotry for young Christian readers. ~ Kirkus Reviews
See the full review here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bob-richley/redeeming-rhubarb
Readers’ Favorite
Redeeming Rubarb
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers’ Favorite
When a catastrophic flood threatens a community of animals, they have to adjust their prejudices to survive in the compelling novel, Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley. Rhubarb has hated rats since one killed his brother. When a rat, Barnabas, and his family move into their neighborhood, Rhubarb’s daughter, Strawberry, goes against his wishes and befriends them. Meanwhile, Miley is struggling to feed her kittens, and Bailey and his pack of dogs are trying to survive. All the animals look at the humans and each other with suspicion, until Strawberry, Barnabas, Bailey, and Miley are caught in deadly situations. Now they must set aside their fear and resentment and work along with a human to save their families’ lives. Can they set aside their previous opinions and live together in peace and harmony?
Based on Christian values, Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley is an exciting and unforgettable adventure. Superbly written, the story addresses the social issues related to prejudices and racism. The perfect story arc flawlessly blends characters and settings to create an engaging and poignant tale. The characters exemplify unconditional love, courage, and strength of character. The illustrations are beautifully depicted and add to the enjoyment of the story. I appreciate how the author portrays the characters’ belief in God and how the way to salvation is explained in an honest and direct approach. This enhances the importance of forgiveness and understanding others’ circumstances. This book is a fantastic example of compassion and acceptance and will entertain everyone from the ages of eight to a hundred.
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
In Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley, an abandoned factory in Boulder, Colorado, is where a community of mice lives. Strawberry Mouse begins to see that her father’s hatred of rats is poisoning their home. Barnabas and his family of rats settle in nearby, and she sees how he repeatedly puts himself forward to help others, resulting in Strawberry’s loyalty to her family colliding with the prejudice her father, Rhubarb, refuses to abandon. After Strawberry is injured and lost, the search for her forces Rhubarb to depend on the very family he despises. Redeeming Rhubarb follows a daughter who sees the truth and a father whose prejudice has shaped every decision he makes. The struggle to bring Strawberry home becomes the moment that may finally break the beliefs destroying his family.
Bob Richley’s Redeeming Rhubarb reinvents questions on fear-driven beliefs and prejudice through a community of animals. Richley does an amazing job of balancing the heartwarming with the heartbreaking. It is so sad to watch Rhubarb’s descent into vice as a coping mechanism, whereas Barnabus is pure love when he goes to save a child from the alley cat, Miley. I love the character of Bailey, a dog first introduced as an injured stray who has known mistreatment from humans. His arc feels so full, and once he begins healing, a gentleness emerges that is really beautiful. The prose makes the settings cinematically visual, from the factory transformed into tiny homes made from discarded human objects to Bart’s clinic, where cages, treatment rooms, and recovery spaces are familiar and realistic. Intelligently written and with well-rendered pencil sketches, as well as huge moral value, this story is worth reading. Very highly recommended.
Review Rating: 5 Stars
3.5 Star Review by Mr. Book Reviews
Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Redeeming Rhubarb by Bob Richley is an absolute joy and revelation. Reminiscent of Watership Down or Animal Farm, it is the story of a disparate group of animals, who naturally either hate each other or view each other as prey, and imbues them with human characteristics and bigotry. Rhubarb is father to a family of mice living in an abandoned factory complex in a Colorado town. He has a natural hatred for rats because a rat killed his brother many years ago. When a rat family, led by the wise and caring Barnabas, moves in next door to Rhubarb, he is absolutely livid and forbids his family from having any contact with them. It is left to his wife and his children, led by Strawberry, to welcome Barnabas and his family to their neighborhood. Add a cat called Miley, with her litter of kittens, a pack of stray dogs, led by the tough Bailey, and a gentle “giant” human, in the form of veterinarian Bart, and you have all the necessary characters for an exciting, uplifting, and educational story.
Redeeming Rhubarb is slated as a young adult novel with a religious theme. Although the language and pace are aimed at this age group, this novel can be enjoyed by all ages, especially adults who may see themselves in Rhubarb. Bob Richley has constructed a delightful, fantastic world where animals think, act, and live, almost as a series of subcultures beneath human perception. Ultimately, this story exposes racism and bigotry as an example of how hatred and mistrust can be built up through generations simply because someone looks different. There is a faith element, but it is a natural outpouring of specifically Barnabas’ simple but powerful philosophy. Through Strawberry’s courage and beautiful naivety, the author reminds us of the need to accept people who may seem a little different, and to give them the benefit of the doubt. This wonderful little tale is a perfect allegory of how racism and bigotry spread, but perhaps, more importantly, how it can be stopped and reversed. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.
Author Bob Richley gives readers a well-designed and well-written story with plenty of talking points for adults and children to share as they read together.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great story for children, and I gave it 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend it to anyone who has or works with kids. It was a well-written story that would be perfect to read with children. I think the ideal age for this story would be about five to eight years old. It is a great book with a great life lesson.
Online Book Club Review of The Big Catch
I loved this little book. It’s absolutely adorable! So many times my own children (similar ages as the children in this story) fight and fight. Then, I witness something so sweet between them and I wonder how I ever thought they were wild, crazy children. That’s what this story tells. Siblings are fighting (as parents we so often witness) and then finally, something clicks and you see that love that the children share. It’s a great story for kids to remind them that they really do love each other and they want to help their brother or sister out. It’s a reminder to be selfless and to love one another.
Linda Ryals Review of The Big Catch
I enjoyed reading The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch by Bob Richley because of its moral lessons. Our children need examples as to how to develop into well-rounded adults. As they read The Oregon Kids, it can help them in their developmental growth.
Reader’s Favorites Review of The Big Catch
The Oregon Kids describes an important learning experience when Billy and his younger sister Autumn take a two-week camping trip with their parents.
Reggie Reads Review Illinois State University on The Big Catch
Mr. Richley’s story, The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch, lures a reader in from the first page. Anyone who grew up with a younger, tag-along, brother(s) or sister(s) will immediately relate to Billy’s feelings of annoyance over having to share his most precious activity, fishing, with his baby sister, Autumn. Mr. Richley portrays Autumn as a lovable, yet, typical pest, who wants to be in her older brother’s business. She does it more out of love for her big brother, than making trouble for him. Mr. Richley cleverly constructs a few mishaps during the fishing trip that put Billy into a position where he has to decide to be helpful or continue to allow resentment to build up inside and not only ruin the fishing trip, but maybe even his relationship with Autumn.
Normandy book reviews of The Big Catch
This children’s book, Runaway Whiskers I thought was very pleasurable, and the experience Autumn undergoes will help teach young minds why it’s important to be honest. I think it will also show how their actions will affect the feelings of others when it comes to making decisions, I highly recommend this book for young readers.
http://bookreviewofchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-of-oregon-kids-runaway.html?m=1
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers’ Favorite
The Oregon Kids: Runaway Whiskers by Bob Richley is a delightful story that revolves around a brother and sister, Billy and Autumn, who are nine and six. Autumn loves animals and she dreams about owning a pet rabbit. Not too far from Autumn and Billy lives Johanna, who is six, but the children do not know each other. Johanna has a pet rabbit named Whiskers who is kept in a cage in their garage. Johanna goes every day to the garage to play with Whiskers and watch it hop around the garage. One day, when Johanna goes to the garage, she sees the cage door open and Whiskers has gone. Johanna is sad and she hopes someone honest will find her and bring her back home. It so happens that Autumn and Billy notice a rabbit hop out of the bushes onto the grass. Will Autumn’s dream of owning a pet rabbit come true?
It is a beautiful story that gives lessons in honesty, truth, character, ethics, and empathy. The portrayal of Johanna and Autumn are real and relatable and children will be able to understand Autumn’s plight and Johanna’s sadness. The illustrations are adorable and they bring the characters alive. The story also throws light on understanding the feelings of others and being compassionate to that. It is a good story for read aloud sessions in classrooms because of the messages it conveys and it also makes a good bedtime storybook. Books with valuable messages and concepts are always good for children to help them understand the right values and ethics more easily when conveyed through stories.