The Little Red Pen

The Little Red Pen

Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel

Help!  A mountain of papers need to be graded!  Only Little Red Pen is willing to tackle the enormous undertaking.  The rest of the school supplies hide in the desk.  Then the unthinkable happens; Little Red Pen falls into the Pit of No Return (the trash can).  Can her fellow-supplies pull together in order to save her?  

Last May, I read this story to a variety of elementary students.  Older kids realized right away that The Little Red Pen is very loosely based on the classic folk tale The Little Red Hen.  Like the animals in the barnyard, the school supplies refuse to respond to Little Red Pen's pleas for help by answering "not I".   All of the supplies have excuses.  In The Little Red Pen, Sisters Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel creatively teach students that working together can be productive and fun.  Check out The Little Red Pen book trailer that I found on YouTube:

 

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon

Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

Holy Cow (that jumps over the moon)!  Dish and Spoon are missing!  Every character that plays a part in the famous children's nursery rhyme are out searching for Dish and Spoon.  Where can they be?  With the help of other nursery rhyme characters, the team sets off to find their famous friends.  After all, the  show can't go on without them!  

Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel take the traditional nursery rhyme and fracture it to pieces.  I love the way they play with words and give familiar fairy tale characters modern voices.  Delightful! For example, the band of characters meet an actual Fork in the road who gives them an idea of where to find Dish and Spoon.  Also, the little dog from the nursery rhyme can't hang around Little Boy Blue for too long because he has a terrible case of hay fever, and the hay stack that doubles as Little Boy Blue's bed makes the canine sneeze uncontrollably.  The twisted fairy tale will entertain readers of all ages.  Finally, the illustrations make the story even more enjoyable.  Make sure to study the maps sprinkled throughout the story.  And The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon is one of my favorites...an instant classic that will be enjoyed for years to come.  

A Season of Gifts

A Season of Gifts

Richard Peck

A Season of Gifts tells the story of twelve-year-old Bob and his family who have just moved to a rural Illinois town.  Their neighbor just happens to be a grouchy old woman named Mrs. Dowdel.  Although Mrs. Dowdel makes it clear that she "doesn't neighbor", she helps each member of Bob's family as they adjust to their new community.  

The very first paragraph of A Season of Gifts captured my attention.  

You could see from here the house was haunted.  Its crooked old lightning rods pointed bony fingers at the sky.  It hadn't had a lick of paint since VJ Day, maybe the war before that.  A porch sagged off the side.  The kitchen screen door hung from a hinge.  Only the snowball bushes crowding its foundations seemed to hold the place up.

The dilapidated shack in the story belongs to Mrs. Dowdel, the rough, tough and larger than life elderly lady that claims to be "no church woman." The house seems to reflect her temperament.  Throughout the story, however, we learn that Mrs. Dowdel is kind-hearted and truly loves her community. She believes in justice and helping those in need. In fact, she gives special gifts to each member of Bob's family.  Although these gifts are not tied up in pretty packages and delivered on Christmas morning, they are life-lessons that help Bob and his family appreciate the selfless acts of kindness that come from an unlikely source.  

Filled with humor and heartwarming moments, A Season of Gifts is a must-read.  Grandma Dowdel is also featured in Peck's  A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago.  I can't wait to read more about this unconventional bighearted character.

All in One Hour

All in One Hour

by Susan Stevens Crummel

Concept and Pictures by Dorothy Donohue

A lot can happen in one short hour.  When a mouse nibbling a cookie wakes a sleeping cat, chaos ensues.  The Cat chases the mouse, the dog chases the cat and then the group is joined by a dog catcher, a bank robber and a policeman. In the style of "This is the House that Jack Built", Stevens-Crummel takes readers on a high-speed chase!  How will it end?

Without question, Dorothy Donohue's amazingly detailed paper cut-outs bring this simple rhyming tale to life.  During kindergarten story time, students want to study the pictures on each page.  They also enjoy the rhythm of the story and beg for a second (or even third) reading.  Simply stated, All in One Hour is FUN!

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!  

Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems

by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens

Attention all dogs!!  Not enough food?  Too many baths? Ignored by your owners?  Dogs that need help with their humans can contact Mr. Mutt, the "Dear Abby" of the canine kingdom.  Mr. Mutt offers great advice that will have human readers laughing out loud...but watch out for the cranky cat!  The Queen, who sees herself as kitty-cat royalty,  doesn't like Mr. Mutt's sarcastic cat comments, and she's looking to shut down his advice column!

Susan Stevens Crummel read Mr. Mutt to our elementary students when she visited our campus last year.  Mr. Mutt was a crowd favorite!  Pay particular attention to the creative illustrations within Mr. Mutt's  letters.  Students of all ages, especially dog-lovers, will enjoy Help Me, Mr. Mutt!

The Great Fuzz Frenzy

The Great Fuzz Frenzy

by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens

What happens when a tennis ball falls into a prairie dog den?  These prairie dogs don't  play tennis, but they sure like ball's yellow fuzz.  They twist it, braid it and parade it!  IT'S THE GREAT FUZZ FRENZY!  However, after the fuzz runs out, it's every dog for himself.  Can these prairie dogs learn to work together to save their community?

Susan Stevens Crummel visited our elementary school last year.  The kids love this book, and it's often requested. In fact, we created an entire kindergarten lesson about community and the importance of working together.  Great book! 

Sherlock Bones and the Missing Cheese

Sherlock Bones and the Missing Cheese

by Susan Stevens Crummel

Illustrated by Dorothy Donohue

Oh no!  The cheese is missing from the Dell!  Who can help?  Why, Sherlock Bones of course!  This brilliant bloodhound uses all five senses to track down the well-known thief. You'll have to read the book to find out which famous fairy tale villain  stole the big cheese!  Children familiar with The Farmer in the Dell will recognize the characters from the classic children's song while they help Sherlock Bones solve the case and save the day.

Sherlock Bones is a cute story, and I love the cut-paper artwork by Dorothy Donohue.  Her talent truly brings the story to life.  Visit her website to view more of her phenomenal creations: http://dorothydonohue.com/.  I could see this book being used by younger grades when learning the five senses.