Rufus lutulentus: A Latin Novella

by Lance Piantaggini

Was there a time when you or your younger siblings went through some kind of gross phase? Rufus is a Roman boy who likes to be muddy. He wants to be covered in mud everywhere in Rome, but quickly learns from Romans who bathe daily that it’s not OK to do so in public. Can Rufus find a way to be muddy? Rufus lutulentus contains just 20 unique words (excluding names, different forms of words, and meaning established within the text), and is 1200 words in length.

74 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2017

Reviews

[Jamie]

My kids found this one boring - but it's amazing for it's ambition using 20 unique words! I think the boringness is inevitable here...

[Kristen Fort · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the repetition of the adjectives and think this will drive the concept of noun/adjective agreement home to my Latin I students. We have not covered imperfect tense yet, but once we do, I plan to use this story as extra reading material.

[Cole Shiflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never received formal training in Latin, but this was a very accessible read. Incredibly repetitive and allows you to learn 20 unique words. I read a chapter before bed each night and felt like it was a nice additional way to engage with the language.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids - 9, 8, and 7 - really enjoyed listening to me read this to them. Yes, it's repetitive, but the kids found that helpful for comprehension.

[Julia Trenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for familiarizing yourself with Latin in a more natural setting than a traditional classroom

[Magister E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for first semester latin students. My students were able to read it with ease and understand the story.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knap hoe Piantaggini dit boekje heeft kunnen schrijven met zo weinig woordjes. De plaatjes maken het wel wat levendiger, maar deze hoeveelheid maakt het boekje toch wat saai.

Ook denk ik dat zo'n boekje, bedoeld voor beginners, wat meer "bruikbare" woordjes had kunnen bevatten. Voor de gevorderde Latijnlezer is het misschien grappig dat we nu "smeerpoets" en "zich bevuilen" kennen, maar bruikbaar voor de beginner is het niet.

Wel blijven de plaatjes grappig en helpt dit boekje enorm om beginners zelfvertrouwen te geven in het begrijpen van een Latijnse leestekst en om "kilometers te maken" in Latijn.

[Oakiery · Rating 5 out of 5]

V good