Cyril is the only grey squirrel in the park, and he is lonely until he meets Pat. Pat is grey too, but unlike Cyril, he isn’t a squirrel, but a rat! Cyril believes him to be a squirrel, and the two animals instantly become best friends. They have wonderful times playing together, joking and having fun. But the other animals in the park are not amused: ‘Oh Cyril, can’t you see that your friend Pat is not like you. Your friend’s a … The missing word should be ‘rat’, but Cyril is not hearing the message and interrupts with his own words, such as ‘real joker’. The friends are unstoppable until a little boy in the park says to his mum, ‘Urgh. I saw a great big rat’ and the penny drops for Cyril. The effect is again instantaneous, and the friendship is finished once the animals explain to Cyril that ‘Squirrels can’t be friends with rats!’ Poor Pat. Cyril tries to play their games, but they don’t work on his own, and he is finally chased into the darkening city by a dog, who corners him and is about to attack when Pat and an army of rats appear to save the day. Back in the park, Cyril and Pat are once again best friends. Gravett writes and illustrates the most remarkable books, and this one is a real winner. Not only can we enjoy the rhyming verses, but we also love the illustrations, and there is an added bonus of the story being a great one to help us learn that difference doesn’t mean having to give up dear friends. Wonderful!