Level 10.1 – Oh, Rats

Vocabulary: (hamster, rats, memories. laughs, respect, judge, tough, wood, plastic)

Title: Oh, Rats

I am so excited; my dad is finally letting me get a hamster! We are at the pet store right now. I run straight for the hamster section, where a large cage full of furry creatures catches my eye. They are very big and have long, pink tails.

A pet store worker walks over to me. “Those are big hamsters,” I say. She laughs and tells me that they are not hamsters at all. They are rats! “I don’t like rats,” I responded. The lady tells me not to judge them so quickly, because they are actually very cool animals.

She tells me all sorts of interesting things about rats. They will eat different foods, just like humans. Their teeth are so strong, sharp and they can chew through tough materials like wood and plastic. I ask the lady if I can chew through wood. She tells me that humans aren’t meant to do that and that rats are very special with different teeth.

I also learned that rats have very strong memories. They can remember tastes, faces, and even their own names. Rats are very smart.

She tells me that rats can swim and climb very well. I ask if rats need swimming lessons, like I do. The lady tells me that they are good swimmers, even without swimming lessons. She also tells me that rats make friends easily. They take good care of their buddies. That makes me smile. I care about my friends too!

“Rats are almost just like me!” I say. The pet store worker laughs. She asks me if I need any help. I nod my head and point towards the hamster section.

“I came to buy a hamster,” I say. She waits as I take a look. The hamsters seem soft and playful, but my mind can’t stop thinking about the rats. As I walk away from the hamster cages, the worker seems surprised. My finger points to a black rat with big eyes and a playful smile. “Are you sure?” the shop lady asks.

The black rat looked me right in the eye. It seemed like he wanted to listen to my answer. “Yes, I’m sure.” The pet store worker is delighted. I open up the cage and watch my new rat scuffle around.

“Hardly anybody chooses rats over hamsters. Rats never seem to get the respect they deserve,” she says. “Well, that changes today!” I exclaim.