The Tale Of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Books, 1995. ISBN:1-56971-077-5. 5Q/5/P.

Talbot weaves an engaging story about child molestation and the pain it causes through the eyes of a young run-away. The story is complex yielding itself to older readers. Illustrations are realistic style done by hand by Talbot.

 

1) Sexual Abuse: Finding your voice

Grade Level: 9-12

Subject Area: Health

Duration: two/three class periods

Objectives:

Students will be able to talk about sexual abuse and define it in their own way.

Students will create an art project showing the protagonist finding her voice and breaking free from sexual abuse in the text we have read

Materials: Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot

Art supplies:

4/5 cardboard squares

Paints, pens, brushes, magazines for clipping

Read

Give student the assignment to read The Tale of Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. Depending on the class, this can either be done outside of class or in small groups reading aloud to each other with copies from local public/school libraries.

Discussion

Write “sexual abuse” on the board. Help facilitate a conversation about what these words mean to the class. They are free to talk about the book and the examples from the life of Helen in the story. Prompt class to think about when Helen’s life started to change, and what steps she took to find happiness. Write down their ideas.

Art Project – In class

Keep students ideas on the board from the discussion. Break into groups of 4/5 and pass out art supplies- pens, old magazines, paint, brushes, ect. Students can bring supplies from home as well.

Students will create a poster that shows Helen finding her voice. It can be a specific moment or a collage of her experiences from being at home to out on the street, to her stay in the mountains.

-Christina Gendron

 

 

 

Talbot, B. (1995). The tale of one bad rat. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics. 1569710775

 

 Helen Potter, accompanied by a pet rat, runs away from an abusive home to face the potentially dangerous streets of London. A great fan of Beatrix Potter, Helen finds some comfort in reproducing her artwork; however, Helen internally struggles with low self-esteem, lack of self-worth, and suicidal thoughts that eat at victims of incest. A disturbing topic paired with sophisticated devices like flashbacks and imagination sequences makes this title a challenging read, but very suitable for bibliotherapy as well as a title for recreational reading.

 

 Rating:   4Q/4P

TK 4/20/08 

 

 

 Genre and Themes: Fiction, Abuse

Age Range: Grade 9-12

What the book is about: Helen Potter has decided to run away from her sexually abusive father to the tough streets of London.  She carries with her few belongings and a tremendous amount of guilt over the abuse.  This story is about her survival and eventual small victory over her prior life.

Rating: P3/Q4

JMB 04/29/08

 

Talbot, B. (1995). The Tale of One Bad Rat. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Books.

ISBN-10: 1569710775

 

ISBN-13: 978-1569710777

 

This remarkable book follows one young lady’s journey to come to terms with her father’s sexual abuse and the discovery of herself.

 

THEME: TRUST:

 

            I don’t think it’s difficult for any one of us to imagine that after being sexually abused, harassed and neglected by one’s parents that there would be trust issues with people in general.  Especially when one is a young woman, and as is still the case, young women are sometimes not treated with the greatest amount of respect.  However, in the case of the main character, there were some sources of comfort she could use to help her navigate some interactions, including experiences that helped her to learn that not everyone was bad.  For instance, her relationship with nature, and its attachment to Beatrix Potter within her mind, allowed her to form bonds with animals, which didn’t betray her trust, but also have an avenue through which and to which she could vent her frustrations.  The natural setting also served as a place where she could rebuild her sense of self enough so that she could again look outward and begin to build solid relationships with those people around her that worthy of her trust, just as she also had to prove she could trust herself around others as well.  Trust is a dangerous two-way street on which wrecks occur all the time, and this book with its harrowing story helps to realize that reality and also maintain the possibility of a positive outcome.

 

*Use in health classes to discuss sexual abuse [9^th grade].

 

Media: Paint/Ink

 

5Q/4P

CJS 5/9/08

 

 

The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 1995.  1-5697-1077-5

 

Annotation:  The story of a girl's journey after the ordeal of sexual abuse.

Media: Comicbook style pen & ink, paint

Rating: 6th-10th 4Q/5P

 

lvanburen/6-09