A Bad Case of Stripes

Rating:
Summary: A Bad Case of Stripes
Review: Camilla Cream absolutely loves lima beans. She won't eat them because it's not cool to eat lima beans. She will do anything just to fit in. On the first day of school Camilla woke up with different colored stripes all over her body. After being covered with stripes came stars, polka dots, and checkerboards. Camilla's classmates notice what is going on and they call out different designs and Camilla's skin reacts. All sorts of specialists come to Camilla's rescue but nothing seems to work. In the end, an environmental therapist gives Camilla directions to become one with her room and that is precisely what Camilla does. Her eyes become pictures on the wall and her lips become the bed. An old lady then comes and has the remedy for Camilla, lima beans.
The illustrations in this book are amazing. The illustrations are very creative and complete the text to the fullest. The details in the text along with the illustrations will definitely attract young readers. This is such a creative story line to teach such a simple lesson; that it is okay to be different. I would recommend this book for ages 5-9.

Rating:
Summary: fine for the easily frightened
Review: I have a four year old daughter who is easily frightened (we can't read Goldilocks and the Three Bears in our house), but she is more than okay with this book. In fact, it is one of her favorites. Some have complained that the artwork is creepy and disturbing. But I think it is different and attention grabbing. David Shannon is a talented artist and his story about nonconformity definitely gets the point across. This is not the same old book all over again. It is fresh and interesting and both my children love it.

Rating:
Summary: A modern classic!
Review: Well, I was cruising through the library stacks, looking for the author of "No, David!" (another outstanding book) when I came across this piece of magic. The illustrations are works of art, the writing is tight and lyrical, the dialogue is beyond what you would expect to find in writing for "mere children." Cross "Madeline" with Roald Dahl and you've got an idea of what you're in store for!

The story, if you haven't gleaned it from other reviews, is that Camilla has decided to be untrue to herself by denying herself her one great love in life - lima beans by the steaming plateful. As a result of the obvious internal angst over her leguminous desire and her need to do what she perceives as cool, her body rebels and does the most uncool thing of all - it covers itself in a rainbow of stripes. Things get worse when Camilla is allowed by the family doctor to go to school - the stripes start shifting colors and shapes at the whim of the other students. Eventually, she is forced to stay home, thanks to the voiced concerns of frightened parents. The final showdown comes as pandemonium erupts when the local television stations discover this oddity in their town.

This book will charm children of all ages - my ten-year-old couldn't believe what she was hearing from her sister's bedroom as I read it aloud before bedtime. Grab this book and embrace it as the treasure it is.