Module 6: A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon

"She had no idea what to wear with those crazy stripes."

barnesandnoble.com

Citation

Shannon, D.  (1998).  A bad case of the stripes.  New York:  Scholastic Inc.

Summary

Camilla Cream is very concerned with what other people think of her.  She loves lima beans, but no one else does, so she pretends to hate them.  When her skin suddenly becomes rainbow-striped on the first day of school, she doesn't know what to do.  Her doctor cannot figure out what's wrong with her, so he sends her to school, where her skin changes colors and patterns as her classmates laugh and shout out different ideas.   The Specialists and Experts don't know what to do and the TV news has even become interested.  Finally, a little old shows up at the Cream household with a new rememdy:  a handful of lima beans.  Could the lima beans be the key to bringing back the real Camilla Cream? 

My Impressions
Richly colorful paintings and creative text make A Bad Case of the Stripes an excellent book to teach children the importance of being themselves.  Shannon's imaginative illustrations show the humor of Camilla's affliction, as her skin goes from bright stripes to a myriad of patterns to sprouting plants and fuzzy viruses until she "becomes one with the room," featuring windows for eyes and a bed for lips.  Children will giggle as they see how Camilla changes and her family tries everything to figure out what's going on. 

Reviews

Camilla Cream wants to fit in, so she conforms, denying herself the things she craves--lima beans, for example--if the other kids frown upon them. She wakes up one morning covered head to toe with party-colored stripes--not the state of affairs aspired to by a conventionalist, but it's only the beginning of her troubles. Her schoolmates call out designs and Camilla's skin reacts: polka dots, the American flag--"poor Camilla was changing faster than you could change channels on a T.V." Specialists are called in, as are experts, healers, herbalists, and gums. An environmental therapist suggests she "breathe deeply, and become one with your room." Camilla melts into the wall. It takes a little old lady with a handful of lima beans to set Camilla to rights. Shannon's story is a good poke in the eye of conformity--imaginative, vibrant, and at times good and spooky--and his emphatic, vivid artwork keeps perfect pace with the tale.

[Review of the book A bad case of the stripes by D. Shannon].  (1997, December 15).  Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com.

Camilla, who loves lima beans but won't eat them because it's not cool, finds that deferring to others isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, her desire to please and be popular causes her some spectacular problems: she suddenly breaks out in stripes, then stars, then turns "purple polka-dotty" at the behest of a delighted classmate. Her weird mutations, which stymie doctors and send the media into a frenzy, become more and more extreme until she finally blends into the walls of her room--her lips the red-blanketed mattress on her bed, her eyes the paintings on the wall. Will she never be herself again? Shannon's over-the-top art is sensational, an ingenious combination of the concrete and the fantastic that delivers more than enough punch to make up for the somewhat heavy hand behind the story, and as usual, his wonderfully stereotypic characters are unforgettable. The pictures are probably enough to attract young browsers (Camilla in brilliant stripped glory graces the jacket), and the book's irony and wealth of detail may even interest readers in higher grades.

Zvirin, S. (1998, January 1).  [Review of the book A bad case of the stripes by D. Shannon].   Booklist, 94(9).  Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Suggested Library Uses

• Read as part of a family storytime.  Best if the children are at least 5 years old.  Have each family member paint or draw a self-portrait expressing what is unique or special about him- or herself.  Family members can help each other come up with qualities or traits.  
• Include in a display about differences, being yourself, or self-confidence.

Notes
Buckaroo Book Award, 2001, 2nd Runner Up (Grades K-3, Wyoming)

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Module 6: Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester

"Poor Wodney.

Wodney Wat.

His real name was Rodney Rat, but he couldn't pronounce his r's."

openlibrary.org

Citation

Lester, H.  (1999).  Hooway for Wodney Wat.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary

Wodney Wat can't pronouce his r's, something for which his "wodent" classmates tease him mercilessly.  Wodney Wat hates speaking up in class.  Camilla Capybara, the new, show-off, mean student in class, makes everyone afraid of her.  And so, when Wodney Wat is chosen to lead the class in a game of Simon Says, he is terrified of what Camilla Capybara will say when she hears him speak.  Wodney's unique way of talking is misunderstood by the class bully, causing for some hilarious "Wodney says" moments that put Camilla Capybara in her place.

My Impressions

Hooway for Wodney Wat is an adorable story about how a speech impediment doesn't have to be embarassing.  The colorful language used to tell the story really brings it to life, as characters gnaw, their fur prickles, and they squeal with laughter.  The illustrations, by Lynn Munsinger cleverly show the events in the story and fill Wodney Wat with personality.  It is wonderful to see an entertaining story about being different that isn't contrived or requires the character to change to be accepted by his peers.  Wodney Wat is a loveable little wodent that will delight all children, regardless of how the speak.

Review

This author-artist team's latest foray into celebrations of differences (Tacky the Penguin, etc,) brings us Rodney Rat, a small rodent who can't pronounce his rs. His classmates' taunting has turned "Wodney" into the shyest, most miserable kid in school. "His squeak could barely be heard in class. He gnawed his lunch alone. And while the other rodents scurried and scooted about at recess, Wodney hid inside his jacket." Along comes salvation in the unlikely form of a new rodent, the mean and disruptive bully Camilla Capybara. Because she doesn't know about Wodney's speech impediment, she takes his orders in "Simon Says" literally, weeding instead of reading, waking leaves instead of raking them, and, crucially, going west instead of taking a rest. Having vanquished Camilla, Wodney is now a hero. Wodney's transformation is beautifully underscored in Munsinger's humorous, expressive illustrations: he gradually changes from hunched-over and cowering to tall and empowered, shouting instructions "in a voice so strong he had to hold his own ears." It's particularly nice that Wodney doesn't have to overcome his speech impediment to be liked; in fact, it's the impediment itself and Wodney's clever use of it that foils the villain and earns his classmates' admiration.

Parravano, M. V. (1999). [Review of the book Hooway for Wodney Wat by H. Lester]. Horn Book Magazine, 75(4), 457. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-- Poor Rodney Rat is teased mercilessly by all the other rodents because he can't pronounce his R's in this beginning to read title by Helen Lester (Houghton, 1999). When Camilla Capybara joins the class and announces that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than any of the other rodents, everyone is afraid, especially Wodney. One day he unwittingly catches Camilla out in a game of Simon Says, and surprises himself and saves his classmates from big bully Camilla. This retelling nicely reflects Wodney's transformation from shy rodent with a speech impediment to hero of the class.

Mandell, P., & Yusko, S. (2004). [Review of the book Hooway for Wodney Wat by H. Lester]. School Library Journal, 50(2), 74. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com.

Suggested Library Uses

•  Read in a storytime and play Simon Says with the children, changing w's for r's, as Wodney does, for a fun listening and direction following activity.  Talk about speech impediments and encourage children to be kind to others who speak differently.
• Include the book in a display about diversity.

Notes
Buckaroo Book Award, 2000, Winner (Grades K-3, Wyoming)

Wodney Wat and Camilla Capybara meet again in Wodney Wat's Wobot (Lester, 2011, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)!

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