The first new book about Poppy in more than ten years, from Newbery Medal-winning author Avi with illustrations throughout by Caldecott Medal-winning artist Brian Floca.
How did Ragweed and Poppy meet and become friends? This book tells their hilarious story! Adventurous golden mouse Ragweed is on a freight train leaving the city of Amperville. On his journey he meets Lotar, a young, annoying, and lost raccoon who’s desperate to reunite with his mother. Though Ragweed doesn’t really want to help the raccoon, by doing so he winds up in Dimwood Forest.
Ragweed is now ready to strike off on his own, but it’s not long before he hears a cry for help. Following the sound of the voice, he finds a cage with a deer mouse trapped inside. When he asks the mouse’s name, she replies, “Poppy.”
The way Ragweed comes to Poppy's aid, and how Poppy comes to his, is how their rousing and fateful friendship begins. As for that annoying raccoon, he keeps getting in the way.
Fans of animal stories and especially of the beloved previous books in the Poppy series will love Ragweed and Poppy!
Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle,Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.
Wahhh I can't believe there's a new book coming out about Ragweed. When I was in grade one, I desperately wanted a pet mouse so I could name it Ragweed...
RAGWEED AND POPPY is an interesting middle grade novel that follows Ragweed, a mouse who is on a journey. Ragweed is on a train when a baby raccoon joins. Lotar, the baby raccoon, wants his mother, as he had wandered off while she was sleeping in search of food. He is now sad and scared. Ragweed is reluctant to help him, but he does decide to help him get back to his mother. Once he has accomplished that, he hears someone else in trouble.
Unable to ignore them, he goes and finds another mouse in a trap, Poppy. The trap is tricky, and so to help her, he will need others to assist. Poppy tells him about her family that lives in the Gray House, and he goes to request their help to free her. Although Poppy's father, the patriarch of the mice at Gray House, refuses to assist, some of Poppy's extended family join Ragweed to save her. Along the way, they will need to use Ragweed's cunning and ideas to get to her safely. The rescue mission goes a bit awry, and then Ragweed is in need of help.
What I loved: The story is action-packed and moves quickly. There are several illustrations throughout that really add to the story and show key scenes. This book would work for young chapter book readers who love animals.
What left me wanting more: Although Ragweed helps others, he is really rude and insulting, particularly to Lotar, who is a young and scared raccoon. Ragweed has no sympathy and frequently calls him names such as idiot, which is not a great example to set for children. I understand that older children might be frustrated by younger children, but the lack of empathy is hard to read.
Final verdict: Overall, RAGWEED AND POPPY would be a good choice for early chapter book readers who like animals. Would be cautious regarding the lack of empathy and reluctant help of Ragweed.
Eh, not my favorite from this series. Granted, it's also been years/decades(?) since I've read the earlier books, so it's possible those may not hold up to my nostalgia either. Still, I thought this was just OK. There were way too many humans, and it kind of felt like the whole plot was the mice taking turns getting caught in traps.
Also...I read this on audio, which I do NOT recommend. The main character in this story is Ragweed, a young, cool, rebellious mouse with an earring. The narrator they chose was an older man with a kind of crotchety voice. Just sayin', it doesn't sound right for someone with that voice to try to say "Dude!" Wrong narrator all around. Oh, also, somehow the way he said "paws" always sounds a little bit like "balls", which made me double-take a few times. "Poppy reached down and grabbed one of his balls." WHOA. Say what now??
I may go back and reread the earlier books (on paper). See if they're still as charming as I remember.
I enjoyed reading a children's book dealing with talking animals. I haven't read such a book since I was in middle school. This book dealt with mice, raccoons, humans, and snakes. The story surrounded around Ragweed who wanted to find his way to Dimwood Forest but was stopped during his journey to help others in need. The book showed how even smallest of animals can have courage, intelligence, and patience. It had certain laugh out loud moments and feeling of worry for Ragweed. I felt like this book was a mishmash of animals chasing other animals. Though greatly done without confusing the reader. It was nice to read a relaxing book that didn't have too much in-depth meaning but was merely for pleasure.
This is wonderful adventure story. A story about doing the right thing and being courageous in the face of fear. Ragweed the golden mouse is nursing a broken heart and trying to figure out just who he is when he is pulled into a grand adventure when he meets Lotar, a baby raccoon. Then there is a very funny mission to rescue Poppy, a deer mouse, who has found herself caught in a trap. Ragweed meets up with all of his natural enemies and lives to tell the tale. While the story and characters are fabulous it is the lovely soft pencil drawings scattered throughout the book that elevate this book into something very special.
I really liked it, at the end all the rats came out of the closet and the girl really like lotar and wanted a pet raccoon. Markueni 6 yrs old.
I liked it because it was because the mace was in different closets and I liked it because the mice put it in into a new drawer like somethings in a new place. Erendirani 7 yrs old. 😍
Excellent story for someone moving into longer chapter books. Ingenuity is needed for an animal who lives in a world with humans. Wonderful B&W illustrations with a map, help the reader along the way.
Spoilers of this whole series and the Chronicles of Narnia.
Originally 3 stars, lowered to 1 after reading the next book (“Poppy”) in the narrative series. To be clear, “Poppy” was published first, this book was published last.
Why the star downgrade? In this book, we meet Poppy, but have a second, fun adventure with our friend, Ragweed. Here, Poppy is caught in a human trap, and is observed by a little human girl while in the trap. And let out by the little human girl. And escapes the adult humans by running under a couch. Humans. Yet, on page 130 of “Poppy,” the narrator says that Poppy sees a human (carrying a fishing pole) for the first time! [“had never seen a real human before.”] COME ON! Fact check your own dang books first! The first narrative book had plot holes (tolerable), but in “Ragweed and Poppy” you can’t remember in your most famous book of the series that she HAS seen MANY humans? Ugh. Unacceptable.
Also, unrelatedly, I am frustrated by Ragweed’s super fast, cold-hearted, uncaring death in “Poppy.” Why write two prequels about him, to have him die? If you read the series the way my son & I did, Ragweed’s death super sucks!! It’s unhinged and unempathetic. To be fair, if you read them in publication order, you’d know from the get-go that Ragweed will die, so while reading this book or Ragweed’s first adventure, you’d probably care less about his death since you know he will die. But what about the rest of us who read the Ragweed adventures first?! Shame on you, Avi.
Furthermore, and more spoilers, while my son & I haven’t gotten there yet, I’ve heard that Rye dies a terrible, fast, unempathetic death as well, that left readers hurt and confused. Why the absolute heck would you, author, do that in a children’s book? Oh, I understand killing Mr Ocax for plot and movie-making material. $$$$$$$. 🤑 Unfortunately, killing a second lovely character in a children’s series (other than the Chronicles of Narnia when they find that they’ve actually entered heaven with their parents, yay!) is heartless!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
My god… For being called “Ragweed and Poppy” and touting itself as the story of how Ragweed and Poppy meet, they barely have anything to do with each other, and don’t at all explain how they would become betrothed, or why Poppy was so taken with him even long after his death. Ragweed is made to be unlikable, there’s annoying side characters newly introduced that you follow but don’t care about, retcons of details, and events that either come about by luck or nullify character’s efforts
This wasn’t a bad story but the mouse that talked like a teenager from the 70’s got on my nerves. I’m fairly sure that is the right decade. He kept saying dude and he had a purple earring. At first it seems as if the story is going in circles but it all comes together in the end. It’s one of those stories that has a main conclusion but you know it has more story to tell. I can’t say that I particularly like any of these characters. Overall though the story kept my attention. Not sure if I will seek out other books by this author.
This book was okay, but personally not for me. The plot was dragged out and repeated itself twice with the main characters needing to be saved by each other 4 times. We barely met Poppy as a character.
My main critique is that there were too many thought interruptions instead of natural flow of through.
This is the 7th book in the Ragweed series and the first in the series in ten years by the Newbery Medal winner. The illustrations were done by Caldecott Medal winner, Brian Floca. It is a prequel and tells the story of how Ragweed and Poppy met and became friends.
Ragweed, a mouse, is heartbroken when the girl mouse of his dreams chooses to be with someone else. He leaves the city of Amperville with no clear destination in mind. He hitches a ride on a railroad car and heads to where the train is going. Along the way, he decides he wants to go to a forest he’s heard about. When another animal jumps into his car, he is frightened because he’s never seen such an animal. It turns out Lotar is a racoon and a baby and is lost. Of course, Ragweed decides to help him return to his family. As he’s trying to return Lotar to his family, Ragweed finds a deer mouse trapped in a cage. He stops and asks the deer mouse its name. “Poppy,” she says.
While this book is obviously made for a younger audience, adults will enjoy the book because it is well written, humorous, and, of course, the animals talk to one another. The illustrations are illustrative of what is happening in the book and add to the tale. It is one of those books that, if you have kids or grandchildren, makes for the perfect bedtime story to be read over the course of many nights.
How wondrous to visit the the famous mice Ragweed, Poppy, and Ereth the porcupine again after so many years, in Avi's new book Ragweed and Poppy. This is a prequel to the much loved Poppy series, where young Ragweed meets his true love, delightfully carefree and adventurous Poppy. This occurs after Ragweed hops a train headed to the country, "he's a city mouse." During the ride he meets Lotar a helpless baby raccoon who accidentally climbs into the same train car. Ragweed's impulse to help his friends in need often leads him into compromising uncomfortable situations. He meets carefree Poppy stuck in a trap, Lotar has lost his mother and must find her, and Ereth a grouchy porcupine makes an early appearance, as he greets him while Ragweed is in search of Lotar's mother. "I'm a porcupine. I don't like raccoons. In fact, I don't like anyone and no one likes me. So lift your leaky legs and lug yourself somewhere else," states Ereth. This title is so beautifully written, it draws one right back into the dynamic life of Dimwood Forest, where the animals' personalities come alive as they strive to keep one step ahead of the humans who venture into their world. What a marvelous opportunity for introducing a new generation of readers to the Poppy series written by a master storyteller who brings all of his well rounded characters to life. A magnificent tale that would make a splendid read aloud.
This is a middle to late grade school book. It is an adventure book from the city to the country through the eyes of many different animals. There is Ragweed a mouse trying to figure out where he belongs. Is he a city or country mouse? Ragweed meets Lotar a baby racoon on his journey. Ragweed just wants to go to the country and not get involved with anyone who needs help, but it seems that is all Ragweed attracts; all of the animals that need his help. There is Ragweed, Lotar, Lotar's very protective Mama Racoon, Poppy who is a very different kind of mouse, a snake, and a cast of many more mice, and of course a few humans. It is a story about helping others in need, and about friendship. It's good to be home! Thank you for allowing me to review a copy of this book.
Another adventure in the Dimwood Forest series. Ragweed, who has been visiting the city, is looking to visit the forest but first he must help Lotar, a baby racoon find his mother. Then he encounters Poppy, a deer mouse, who is in a trap and she asks him to go find her family and come back rescue her. Poppy meets the girl who trapped her and wants become her pet. Ragweed and several deer mice reencounter Lotar and his mother. Further adventures ensue with a slapstick climax that children should enjoy. The text is highlighted by the delightful black and white illustrations of Brian Floca. Children ages 7-12 who enjoy stories like "Charlotte's Web" or "Stuart Little" will enjoy this one as well. Also, a perfect bedtime read aloud as the chapters are short.
Really cute read for youngsters. The writing is clear and fairly easy to understand. Concepts aren’t too difficult to understand. Chapters are either short or broken up into smaller sections. This is what kids refer to as a “chapter book.” Ragweed and Poppy by Avi would be a cute book to read in sections to youngsters at nap or bedtime . The black and white illustrations are adorable. Introduces youngsters to the concept of having wonderful relationships and experiences with different species found in a forest (good teaching moments for all). The book shows how working together can easily overcome many obstacles. Recommended for all ages.
Very cute story. I read the rest of the series and I somehow missed this one. Perhaps because it is one of his most recent additions. I liked it better than Ragweed's stand alone book in the series. I just didn't like how Poppy and her friends weren't trying to help Ragweed after he was captured. He went through a lot of trouble to help her when she was in the same situation. I felt it was a little bit ungrateful and selfish, but then again, most of the characters do have varying degrees of selfishness. Somehow the books are so charming and cute it makes you overlook the character flaws of the protagonists.
Going on the adventure of re-reading my favorite childhood series and found out they published this one recently!
I read only what my school library (and teacher's personal library!) had available for us, so it's been delightful so far learning about Ragweed in the 1st book, and now how Ragweed and Poppy met. I remember I started the series with Poppy, and if memory serves me right it is quite the swerve from the ending of this book to the next!
Overall, I enjoyed this. The further I got, the more I was thinking "All of this in the span of one day!" with the regular shenanigans the characters got up to.
As an aromantic Poppy/Ragweed is one of the very few "ships" I'm interested in. This book doesn't do anything for this ship and I feel a little cheated to he honest.
Don't get me wrong, the story is fine. (Even if the Lotar thing was filler.) But Poppy and Ragweed are strangers in this book. They don't bond! We don't explore Ragweeds time with Poppy at the Grey House.
There wasn't even any setup for why Ragweed decides to stay. He's just like "I guess l live here now lol".
The book is called "Ragweed & Poppy" not "Ragweed, Poppy, and two raccoons go around doing stuff lmao".
Am..... Am I going to have write a fricken Poppy fanfiction rom-com?
Kind of a cute little adventure story about a mouse and his friends. The somewhat overused “Dude” phrasing became irritating early in the story. I enjoyed the little human girls reaction to catching a mouse in her trap and that her parents were sympathetic to her idea of keeping Poppy for a pet. The early story of the baby raccoon and his Mama was cute but a bit redundant towards the end of the book. I thought this had the potential to be a really good book but came away a bit short of it possibilities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This one might be my favorite in the series. It was the last written but is chronologically #2 in the series. I read it after all the others because our library didn’t buy it until after I had read the others already.
If you found some of the speaking styles in the other books to be slightly annoying at times, you might like this one better. (However, it has very little Ereth, which will be a downside to some people.) It’s great at situational humor and is overall just a fun read.
I found a lot of the characters in this one to not be as interesting or bearable as they are in Poppy and the following couple books. Lotar was too much for me, and coming back to Ragweed's very weird retro cool guy voice was... rough.
I still love this world though and have a deep fondness for this kind of storytelling. However, I feel like Ragweed's character development could have been handled better before his imminent death in Poppy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this book. I love how you almost learn 3 different stories, that of Ragweed, Poppy and Lotar. They all meet in a caustic fashion, all for different reasons. Though, (Spoiler coming) I don’t know how Ragweed dies in the first chapter of the next book! I read that book before this one, and I can’t believe that happened! Ragweed promised his family he would return home. I think I would have Iiked book 3 better if he didn’t die.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Adorable! A golden mouse, Ragweed, crosses paths with a clingy baby raccoon, field mice by the dozen, a friendly snake and a little girl in Dimwood forest. One event after another weave a delightfully funny tale that culminates in a disastrous meeting of all the characters at a cabin in the woods. The humans decide to leave, of course. Part of a series.
I love the Poppy series, and I am so glad Avi decided to share the story of what happens between Ragweed (Book 1) and Poppy (Book 2). I think this may be the most intricate and surprising adventure plot yet, and I love the introduction of the raccoons Lotar and his mother. Brian Floca once again provides wonderful illustrations throughout.
The character development was quite strong in this volume. Although it was written last, in terms of the timeline, it is the second book in the series, and I highly recommend reading it that way. The action is break-neck at times, and there's good foreshadowning toward the end. All in all, a great read. I highly recommend this title and this series.
I've been reading about Poppy and her friends since I was in elementary school. They are classics for my sister and me. I only learned about this one recently, and I was so happy that Avi still writes a Tale from Dimwood Forest every once in awhile. And I was glad that it featured Ragweed, that sweet little hippie mouse. Gotta love him.
I just finished reading it (I got hold of an "advance reader's copy), and it is AWESOME. It is funny, it is adventurous, it is interesting, there is really nothing bad about it. I recommend this book for children of all ages.