Three Cool Kids by Rebecca Emberley

This book is one of my traditional or folk liturature books.

The three cool kids is a version of the Billy goats gruff. In this book the kids live in the city and the lot they live on is just not getting any better. They know of an empty lot just down the road but are afraid to go because of stories of this mean rat. When the kids are down to their last piece of grass they decide that that is that and they head to the new lot. As the youngest two kids cross the street one at a time they both encounter this mean rat. The rat wants to eat them for dinner and each one says that he wont cause the other kids will tell him what's what. When Big, the oldest of the three, crosses the road he shows the rat what's what and they never hear from the rat again. The kids cross the street and live happily in the new lot. I would use this to teach students about books that are all different versions of each other, along with teaching that being mean will not get you far.