In a day and age where children are bombarded with someone else's ideas of what is popular and desired, whether in looks or personalty, Matt the Rat in a Dog Suit displays in a straightforward and easy to understand way, how someone else's ideas for us are not always the right ones.Matt is an adorable young rat who is starting his first day of school. Like anyone, all he wants to do is fit in and make friends. This does not happen as quickly as Matt would like, and so, to try and rush the process, sweet little Matt connives to be like the others in his class rather than be himself. He does not trust that the others will like him for who he is, and instead, tries to disguise himself as someone he is not.What Matt soon finds out, is that with a little time, the classmates will come to admire him for who he is. When Matt peels off his costume and is his best genuine self, the others admire him because of his differences and Matt finds himself to be happy and surrounded by new friends.This wonderful little story demonstrates to the young reader how they are not only acceptable in their own skin, but actually valuable and attractive to others. Being our true selves is the most beneficial, attractive, and worthwhile achievement one can come to. By using story to teach children basic truths, the lessons stick longer and grow deeper because the reader attaches the life lesson to a character and in this case, there is no more memorable character that Matt the Rat.
