Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the team behind The Gruffalo, created this rollicking tale of a villainous rat who demands food from everyone he meets. The Highway Rat rides out on his horse, stealing sweets, biscuits, and whatever else he fancies from the innocent creatures of the road. His victims include a rabbit with clover, a squirrel with nuts, and a duck with sandwiches—none of them safe from his greedy demands. The verse bounces along with Donaldson's characteristic rhythm and rhyme, building toward the rat's comeuppance when a clever duck leads him into a dark cave with the promise of 'buns, biscuits, and cake.' The ending delivers justice while allowing the rat a fate better than he deserves—he ends up working in a bakery, finally able to eat all the cake he wants. Scheffler's illustrations give the rat a magnificently wicked appearance—cape flying, sword raised, eyes gleaming with malevolent glee. The book works as a simple story about sharing and consequences for young children, while older readers recognize the highwayman parody and appreciate the clever inversion of the villain's greed. Donaldson's facility with language means parents enjoy reading this aloud as much as children enjoy hearing it, and the cumulative structure invites participation as readers anticipate each victim and the repeated demands.