Read, Write, Repeat.

One of the the things I’ve always liked about Artie Abrams, one of the Glee Club members at William McKinley High School — besides his beautiful singing voice — is that he doesn’t seem overly fixated on the fact he’s in a wheelchair.

Yes, Artie has had moments where he’s dreamed of being a dancer. And, yes, he’s researched technology that could allow him to walk in the future. But most of Artie’s energy seems to be focused on similar concerns as the rest of the Glee Club kids — who is he in love with this episode — Brittany? Tina? And, with Season Three under way, a lot of his effort is going into being a director for the schools production of “West Side Story.”

Even when Artie was given a contraption that allowed him to stand for short periods of time in last year’s Christmas episode, he didn’t want it for himself. He wanted it for Brittany, who had asked Santa Claus to make her boyfriend walk. He didn’t want her to be disappointed if her wish wasn’t granted. Just some evidence that Artie’s basically a nice guy.

That’s all well and good.

But if I were the librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d suggest Artie read Harriet McBryde Johnson’s Accidents of Nature (Henry Holt and Co., 2006).

It’s a book about Jean, a teenager growing up in 1970. She’s in a wheelchair. She has cerebral palsy. She’s smart and opinionated, but she can’t make her body do what she wants it to. And, she has a hard time speaking so others can understand her.

Jean spends part of her summer at a camp for kids with disabilities. It’s the type of camp you wouldn’t find today. It combines kids with every possible kind of disability. There are kids in wheelchairs because of diseases like cerebal palsy. Kids in wheelchairs because of accidents. Kids with epilepsy. Kids who are super-intelligent. Kids with a variety of severe cognitive disabilities. And even a few kids referred to as “walkie-talkies” who walk and talk without any problems, but have other issues like epilepsy, anger-management or even asthma.

As you might imagine, the staff has a hard time coming up with activities everyone can do.

This is all eye-opening for Jean. She’s been a bit over-protected by he parents, and she’s the only kid in a wheelchair in her public high school, and even though she needs someone to feed her and dress her and move her in and out of her wheelchair, she’s always considered herself pretty much like everyone else at her school.

Being with a group of kids with all kinds of abilities and challenges makes Jean re-evaluate herself, her family and her friends, and her newly formed opinions aren’t always positive. Her cynical cabinmate, Sara, forces Jean to expand her world view, review her life goals and question people’s motives.

In some ways, it’s a disturbing book.

But it’s also a valuable story of friendship and self-discovery. I think Artie would see it as such, and he’d also be pleased that he’s growing up now instead of in the ’70s.

Unlike Jean, Artie, who’s portrayed by Kevin McHale (and NOT the Kevin McHale who used to play for the Boston Celtics), is very self-sufficient. And because he can use his arms and speak clearly, he fits in much more easily than Jean ever could. But I sometimes wonder how much he’s really come to terms with his condition.

For example, in the famous T-shirt scene from Season Two when everyone wore a T-shirt with whatever thing they were most self-conscious about listed for everyone to see, Artie’s T-shirt said “Four-Eyes.”

Yes, Artie wears glasses. Big dorky ones, in fact. But it seemed odd that that’s what he’d be most concerned about. Especially because, today, getting contacts is a very easy, inexpensive thing to do. So if that’s really what bothers Artie the most about himself, he could change it. I always thought he wore the glasses on purpose as sort of a retro Buddy Holly tribute.

Previous story lines have shown that Artie wishes he could dance and dreams of being able to one day. That would have been a more honest thing to put on his shirt. And reading this book might move Artie toward that end.

Here’s the list of books I’ve recommended to Glee characters so far:

• Artie Abrams – Accidents of Nature by Harriet McBryde Johnson.
• Noah Puckerman - So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow.
• Brittany Pierce – Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John.
• Mercedes Jones – Dramarama by E. Lockhart.
• Tina Cohen-Chang – My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher.
• Santana Lopez – Sister Mischief by Laura Goode.
• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Catherine Gilbert Murdoch is a versatile writer. Her three-book Dairy Queen trilogy tells the story of D.J. Schwenk, a girl who plays linebacker for her small-town Wisconsin football team and tries to keep her sometimes struggling family afloat. It’s realistic, contemporary fiction with warmth and heart.

Gilbert Murdoch’s other two books also have warmth and heart, but an entirely different tone. Princess Ben is a fantasy/fairy tale with a strong heroine, high language and a wild adventure.

And her latest, Wisdom’s Kiss (Houghton Mifflin, 2011) is another fantasy effort. Booklist, which gave the book a starred review, described it thusly, “Packed with double entendres, humorous dialogue and situations and a black cat that will capture the reader’s imagination, this is a joyful, timeless fantasy that teens will savor.”

But it’s not a traditional teen book. There are several twists.

Like, what, you ask? Well …

• The story is told from eight different points of view. That’s right. Eight. And not all the narrators can be trusted.
• It includes letters, journal entries, a glossary, an encyclopedia and a play. All in the same book.
• There’s romance. And unrequited love.
• There are secrets and hidden identities.
• There’s also an intelligent cat, named Escoffier, based on the author’s own pet. Although the real cat’s name is the much more prosaic “Charcoal.”
• And, there’s even a connection to Princess Ben astute readers will discover.

So today’s guest reviewer, Athena, had a lot to work with.

Our reviewer: Athena

Age: 11

Things I like to do: Read, play the oboe and cook.

This book was about: Wisdom, Trudy and Tips — how they met and the adventure they have together.

The best part was when: The stories of when Trudy was a little girl.

I smiled when: Escoffier taunts a dog.

I was worried when: Wisdom “died” the first time.

I was surprised when: Wisdom was poisoned.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Enchanted.” “Magical.” “Romantic.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Any soul who contemplates even glancing at the pages of this volume will suffer a most excruciating pain.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The glossary, which can come in handy.

You should read this book because: It has many surprises.

Thanks, Athena!

If you’d like to know more about Catherine Gilbert Murdock and her other books (especially two of the Dairy Queen books that I recommended to Glee character Dave Karofsky as part of my ongoing series), visit her website.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Rutgers University Council of Children’s Literature One-on-One Plus conference last weekend on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, N.J.

And it was way cool.

The special thing about this conference is that there’s an equal number of aspiring writers and illustrators and working editors, agents, art directors and published writers. The conference makes one-on-one matches between the newer folks and the experienced folks, which can lead to a lot of learning and insight.

There are also group events and speakers. There’s no way I could do the entire conference justice, so I settled for pulling memorable quotes from my notebook and sharing them here. I know more people said more amazing things than I could capture, so I apologize to anyone I failed to include. I just couldn’t write fast enough to capture all the brilliance!

But, here’s what I did get.

First up was Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Eighth-Grade Superzero. She kicked off the conference by sharing her success story. A former conference mentee, Gbemi shared her path to publication and thoughts on writing in general. Some of her comments that resonated with me included:

• “I write because I adore the magic and mystery of life. And I want to share it.”

• “Writing is an attempt to weave something beautiful from the chaos in our world.”

• “Writing and illustrating are acts of courage and acts of hope. There’s a beauty in the striving itself.”

• “I write to make magic and to listen between the lines. I write because I have faith and because I have a lot of doubts.”

• “Give your work the love and respect it deserves.”

There was also a panel discussion featuring Meagan Bennett, art director for Abrams Books for Young Readers; Barry Goldblatt, agent; David Lubar, author; Deborah Kogan Ray, author and illustrator; and Harold Underdown, editor and creator of The Purple Crayon website. Their discussion was funny and lively, but they didn’t always agree, which I thought was a plus. Conversational gems included:

Meagan:

• “A good story starts in one place and takes a child someplace totally new, achieving the goal of transformation.”

• “Love what you do. If we don’t think you’d be fun to work with, we won’t want to work with you.”

• “What about your work is different? Focus on that and pull it out.”

Barry:

• “The trilogy that is four or five books is also very popular now.”

• “Write like your very life depends on it. No safety net. No seatbelts. No crash carts.”

Deborah:

• “No matter how many words are there, your mind may come to just one illustration.”

David:

• “A joke is a story in miniature. If something makes you laugh or wonder ‘what-if,’ write it down. Otherwise you’ll lose it forever.”

• “Write your best possible pieces and get them out there. Then, try to write something better.”

Harold:

• “There are many secrets to getting published. All these different stories. All these different paths. There’s no predicting how you will find your path.”

The conference closed with Jon Scieszka speaking. I would share many of the wonderful things he said, but I was so busy laughing that I didn’t write anything down except the title of his latest book series, Spaceheadz. The man is seriously funny. Anyone who writes a chapter of his book in hamster (Eek! Squeak! Eek!) and then reads it out loud dramatically, is my kind of guy.

So as I said, it was an awesome conference.

If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it. I left with the ideas listed here, along with several story-revision ideas and stronger industry knowledge from my one-on-one session with Chelsea Eberly, an assistant editor at Random House books. Chelsea also did a better job of explaining story hooks than I had ever heard before.

Oh, and I guess I do remember one quote from Jon Scieszka, so I’ll leave you with that:

“You don’t have to have all the answers. But you have to be willing to use your curiosity to find them.”

There are picture books that are funny. Picture books that are reassuring. Picture books that are instructional. Picture books that share a story.

Then, there are picture books that are simply, unequivocally, beautiful.

Such is the case with Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee’s Stars (Beach Lane Books, 2011).

This is a picture book where the text and illustrations carry absolutely equal weight and combine into something greater than either could be alone.

As you might expect, it’s about stars. But not in a National Geographic sort of way. (Not that there would be anything wrong with that, it just would be another sort of book altogether.) Instead, this book is an ode to stars and their many uses — real and imagined.

Underneath all that, it’s reassurance that everyone has star power inside them to draw on when they need it most.

Of course, it received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist and School Library Journal.

It’s lyrical. It’s lovely. It’s life-affirming.

Today’s guest reviewer didn’t use those exact words. But she chose this book from a pile of recent releases and said it was her favorite. And I respect her opinion, because she’s something of a picture book connoisseur.

She’s also an honest critic. There have been many times she’s finished a book, looked at me and said, “Well, that was … odd.”

Not so today.

Let’s hear from Sonia, shown at the upper left, who decided to wrap herself up in her favorite star-spangled blanket in honor of the book. She also took a picture of her favorite star on her favorite blanket, and that’s shown to the right.

Today’s reviewer: Sonia

Age: 9.

I like: To read about animals and sharks and play on my mom’s computer. I also like watching “Scooby-Doo.”

This book was about: Stars. And where you might find a star. And what you should do with one. And how to make your own out of paper.

The best part was when: Everybody was in their pajamas looking for stars on the roof.

This book taught me: Where to find stars. And that you should always look for them.

Three words that describe this book: “Shiny.” “Sparkly.” “Stars.”

My favorite phrase from this book is: “But you can draw a star on shiny paper and cut around it. Then, you can put it in your pocket. Having a star in you pocket is like having your best rock in your pocket, but different. Because a star is different from a rock.” (Here, Sonia pauses to note that although she likes stars, she’d rather have a rock in her pocket. Because she collects rocks. And, “A rock is something you can kick.”)

My favorite picture was: All the kids putting on their pajamas so they’ll have a better chance to see the stars.

You should read this book because: I really liked it. I like stars. They’re shiny and cool. Although they’re actually really hot because stars are like tiny, little suns.

Thank you, Sonia!

To learn more about Mary Lyn Ray, read this interview.

To learn more about Marla Frazee, visit her website.

What’s the strangest thing you ever thought might be true?

For Paul, the unlikely hero of The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon (Candlewick, 2010) written by David Almond and illustrated by Polly Dunbar, it’s a notion that maybe the moon isn’t the moon at all, but rather just a hole in the sky.

Left to his own devices, Paul, who’s quite quiet and shy, might never have gotten up the nerve to test his theory. But fortunately, he lives in an apartment building full of quirky and eclectic people who are eager to help him on his way.

And discovering the truth, as you might imagine, is quite a journey.

Here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say:

“Almond shows his playful side in this story of an urban boy with a large imagination and unconventional neighbors. Paul, who lives in the basement apartment of a high-rise, yearns to touch the sky. He goes on an adventure to the top floor of his building, and on his way up he runs into some unusual residents. One of them, who is pretending (or is she?) to be the identical twin sister of an artist living on the top floor (‘I will say that Mabel is on holiday in Barbados, and I have come to look after her apartment while she is away’), proves invaluable in helping Paul fulfill his wish. Then she goes a step further, finding someone who can aid Paul in testing his theory that ‘the moon is not the moon, but is a hole in the sky.’ Adorned with Dunbar’s whimsical pencil and ink illustrations, this book is a pleasing mix of silliness and creative thinking. Readers will take delight in meeting offbeat characters and in sharing the young hero’s discovery of what lies beyond familiar territory.”

Now, let’s hear what today’s guest reviewer has to say. Take it away, Cora!

Today’s reviewer: Cora.

Age: 8

I like: Pizza, dogs, mini-golfing, listening to my iPod.

This book was about: A boy named Paul who thought the moon was not the moon, but was a hole in the sky. And he decided to climb into that hole!

The best part was when: How brave Paul was when he jumped out of the moon!

I laughed when: I read about the man talking weirdly. He was very shy and he talked with a crazy, weird and funny sound.

I was worried when: Paul jumped out of the moon. I was afraid he would get hurt or die. He didn’t get hurt, but I don’t want to tell you why and give it all away.

I was surprised that: He thought the moon was a hole in the sky.

This book taught me: To follow my dreams.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The part where Paul jumps out of the moon, because it’s so surprising.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Funny.” “Creative.” “Awesome.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: They came back into the street they started from.

You should read this book because: It teaches you a good lesson. To follow your dreams and don’t be afraid. Just like Paul.

Thanks, Cora!

To learn more about author David Almond, who has had quite a remarkable writing career, you can:

• Visit his website.
• Read this interview in January magazine.
• Check out this article from The Guardian.

To learn more about illustrator Polly Dunbar, who also has written books, you can:

• Visit her website.
• Read this interview on Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
• Listen to this video interview.

Dana Regan is an extremely prolific children’s book creator.

She’s illustrated more than 75 children’s books during her career and also has written the last nine. Recently, she’s ventered into the world of e-books and has illustrated and animated two books, including the recently released I Can Do It Myself! Today, she joins Read, Write, Repeat to talk about how her career has evolved.

You started out designing greeting cards for Hallmark, then you were a freelance artist and then began illustrating children’s books. Tell us about your career path and what you learned each step of the way.

I wrote a report in third grade about wanting to be a children’s book illustrator when I grew up. I had the wonderful perspective of childhood confidence that all I had to do was decide what to be and then be it. I realize now what an advantage it is to always know what you want to do without be hindered by the facts.

So I drew and painted, and I went to college to learn to draw and paint better and contemplated applying to Disney to be an animator but finally decided that I wanted to do what Dr. Seuss did. And Maurice Sendak. And so many other influencers from the books I read when I was younger.

When Hallmark recruited me from college my senior year I was a bit wary of changing my career path. My mother, however, who was very worried about her fourth child making her way in the world with a bachelor of fine arts degree, strongly encouraged me to join Hallmark. It was excellent advice. It was an amazing graduate degree program. Hallmark employs some of the most talented artists I have ever met and I learned a great deal there. I did not give up on books, though.

You have produced a very extensive body of work. What do you attribute that to? What advice do you have for illustrators and writers who would like to build up a similar portfolio?

All the while I was creating greeting cards for kids, I was also building my freelance career. I would travel every summer to New York with my portfolio and visit any publisher who would agree to see me. I would get book contracts and slowly build my connections in the industry.

But every time I sat in the lobby of a publisher’s office and looked around the room, I saw that there were several other artists waiting just like me, for a chance to show their portfolio. And most of those artists lived in the city and could solicit work regularly. The next summer’s appointments were all with agents. I have worked with an agent since 1987. Now, she shows my portfolio for me and I can stay home and work.

I decided to leave Hallmark when I had so much freelance work that I couldn’t do both. I didn’t have children yet. In fact, I wasn’t married yet, but in keeping with my childhood optimism, I knew I would want to be home with them when I did have kids.

Now that I have two sons, I have never regretted that decision. Although, once, when Tommy was in kindergarten, his teacher pulled me aside in carpool and said, “Do you know that your son doesn’t know what you do for a living?” What? She said they had a project at school to talk about their parent’s professions and Tommy said he didn’t know what mine was. So as I drove him home I casually asked him about the project and reminded him that I draw and color pictures for books and he replied, “They don’t mean that, Mom, they mean a REAL job.” I hope I am less of an embarrassment to them now.

How did you move from illustrating children’s books to writing them, as well? What was the biggest challenge for you?

I started writing funny, rhyming stories for my boys when they were little. My mom had always done that for us when I was a kid, and I guess I get that from her. I actually didn’t think they were good enough to submit to a publisher because I thought of myself as an illustrator, not an author. (Where was that childhood optimism?)

Jane O’Connor at Penguin was the first publisher to take one of my stories. I was visiting New York and showing my portfolio, which I still do from time to time to maintain contact with editors and art directors I work with. She saw a poem in the back pocket of my portfolio and pulled it out, read it and announced that it would make a fun beginning reader. Monkey See, Monkey Do was born.

I looked back at all the things I had written for my boys over the years, and it has proven to be a gold mine of material for future books. Penguin’s Big Hill and Penguin’s Skating Party were inspired by my oldest child who was a bit timid about trying new things.

Your latest project features text written by your mother, Mary Gustafson, for your sons. What was it like illustrating her words?

I Can Do It Myself was also inspired by my children, but it was my Mom who had the inspiration. When they were toddlers, I remember calling my Mom and complaining about how frustrating it can be to raise toddlers and she mailed me a poem she wrote for me called, I Can Do It Myself! I immediately thought it would make a great book but somehow I didn’t get around to actually making it happen until 13 years later. Just in time to venture into the world of e-books.

You’ve published two e-books recently. How did you get started with that?

I love the new electronic medium and the chance to make my illustrations move. It is a small taste of that Disney career I once contemplated. I love books on paper still, and I love ebooks. A good story is a good story where ever it comes from. I think there is plenty of space in a child’s imagination for both.

Thanks, Dana!

I Can Do It Myself! is available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and will be available for Barnes & Noble’s Nook soon.

If you’d like to learn more about Dana and her work, visit her website. You also can learn more about Mary Gustafson, who wrote the text for I Can Do It Myself!, here.

I’ve had two pieces of good news recently, and I’m sharing them now because I’ve only just stopped breathing deeply into a paper bag.

My first piece of good news.

I sold my first book! From the slush! To one of my all-time favorite publishers!

It happened after four years of writing, revising and submitting MANY manuscripts and receiving 126 rejections. (Not that I was counting.)

Here are the details:

Which manuscript?

Sophie’s Squash, a picture book. It’s probably the fourth or fifth one I wrote. And it was one I had revised and reworked at least 10 times. But it was worth it, because the story got drastically better each time.

To which publisher?

The amazing Anne Schwartz and the lovely Lee Wade at Schwartz & Wade, a Random House imprint. Have I mentioned I adore their books and the other authors they’ve published? Well, I do. A lot. And I’m still having trouble believing I’m going to be part of their list.

Want to see why I’m so excited about working with them? Read this interview they did with Ilene Cooper at Bookmakers.

Want to see all the cool authors they’ve published like Candace Fleming, Lenore Look, Jenny Offill and Patricia McKissack? Check out this link.

Where’s that paper bag? I think I need it again.

How did it happen?

I had a day off work and had just gotten home from exercising. (A shout-out to my friends at Phitness Plus.) I was sweaty and sticky, so when the phone rang and the caller ID said, “Random House” with a 212 area code, I thought perhaps I was a little light-headed from the crunches I’d done.

Plus, I didn’t recall sending anything to Random House. But when the person on the line said, “This is Anne Schwartz from Schwartz & Wade and you probably don’t remember sending us Sophie’s Squash …” I knew exactly what was going on.

I had sent them the manuscript in early January, and they called eight months later. For all my nonwriter friends, waiting that long for a response is not unusual in the publishing world.

What makes this more unusual is I had sent the book to them after I saw a website that said they accepted unsolicited manuscripts. Apparently, this is incorrect. Anne said they normally don’t look at slush, but they had just gotten a new editorial assistant and decided to have her go through some.

That assistant pulled my manuscript on a Wednesday, and Anne and Lee called me on Friday. So … wow! (I’ll even say it backwards. “Wow!”)

When will the book come out?

I don’t know. The illustrator has to be chosen first. And I have edits to do. Once those two things happen, I’ll know more about a release date.

Now, my next piece of big news.

I also have an agent. The awesome Ammi-Joan Paquette from the equally awesome Erin Murphy Literary Agency!

Pause for a moment while I take a few more deep breaths into that bag … There, I’m feeling better now.

Again, I feel extremely lucky. Joan, whom I heard speak at the Spring 2011 Iowa SCBWI Conference, represents a lot of people I am very impressed with. And, she’s a very good writer herself – with a picture book (The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies) and a middle-grade (Nowhere Girl) already published and a young-adult novel (Paradox) set to come out in 2013.

And, I really like the way she talks and thinks about writing and books.

Finally, some thank-yous.

I could not have written or sold Sophie’s Squash without the help, advice and support of many people. So a thousand thank-yous to:

Two wonderful people who got me on track early in my writing efforts.

Authors Jill Esbaum and Linda Skeers. I attended their picture book retreat soon after I decided I wanted to get serious about writing for children. I brought my earliest draft of Sophie along.

They were very encouraging, but said that the plot needed work. So we sat down and brainstormed what could happen. They supported me and offered advice along the way — even when I didn’t seem to be making progress. They definitely made me a much better writer.

My writing friends and critique partners.

Everyone listed below has looked at various versions of lots of my stories, some of them many times. They’ve made me a better writer, too.

Sharon Hart Addy, Kate Carrigan Blackwell, Carolyn Cassel, Andrea Donahoe, Kim Falkenstein, Ned Gannon, Susan Herr-Hoyman, Janet Larscheid, Ellen Lawrence, Kiz Leppert, Pat Lessie, Joanne Linden, Bridget Magee, Lisa Morlock, Cathy Stefanec Ogren, Norene Paulsen, Eve Robillard, Jessica Vitalis and Jeff Waltz.

Thanks also to all the fun and talented folks at the Wisconsin and Iowa SCBWI conferences who have always been welcoming, positive and willing to share their expertise.

My family.

I’ve always heard you shouldn’t trust your family’s opinion of what you write. After all, they love you and can’t be objective about your work.

That’s probably true.

But families are great at telling you to keep trying, reminding you that you have what it takes, not getting mad at the time you spend at the computer and feeding you chocolate when a particularly painful rejection arrives.

So thanks to Faye Clow, Dick Miller, Gwen Miller, Lynn Miller, Mark Miller, Sonia Miller, Clark Wells, Pam Wells, Allen Zietlow, Jean Zietlow and Tom Zietlow for believing in me during the journey so far and celebrating these recent milestones with me.

This post probably makes it sound like my writing journey is at its end, but I know it’s really only beginning. I also know writing and publishing books can take a while. But that’s all right with me. I think it’s going to be a fun, fun, trip.

As long as I don’t misplace my paper bag.

Starting a new school year is always exciting and scary. And that’s doubly true for students venturing off to kindergarten for the first time.

Author Catherine Urdahl takes on this topic in Polka-Dot Fixes Kindergarten (Charlesbridge, 2011). Dorothy, who’s better known as Polka-Dot, skips off to kindergarten ready to learn. But she brings a fix-it kit full of her grandfather’s favorite repair tools just in case.

At first, kindergarten doesn’t look like it will be very fun. Her name tag says, “Dorothy,” there are lots of rules to remember and there’s a girl named Liz who doesn’t appreciate Polka-Dot’s name or fashion sense. And, grandpa’s fix-it tools don’t seem to work as well at school as they do at home — at least initially.

Today’s guest reviewer has successfully navigated the waters of kindergarten and, therefore, is thoroughly qualified to comment on this book. So take it away, Brooke!

Our reviewer: Brooke

Age: 8

Things I like to do: Play with my friends and my sister.

This book was about: A girl named Polka-Dot going to kindergarten.

The best part was when: Liz and Polka-Dot made up.

I smiled when: Polka-Dot fixed Liz’s dress.

I was worried when: The boys saw Liz’s underpants.

I was surprised when: Liz’s dress split.

This book taught me: To always be nice.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Fix.” “Help.” “Friendship.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: When she said, “Let’s be friends.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Stripes and polka-dots.

You should read this book because: It is a good book.

Thanks, Brooke!

If you’d like to learn more about author Catherine Urdahl, you can visit her website. Or, you can read this blog post where Catherine describes how Polka-Dot’s story came to be.

If you’d like to learn more about illustrator Mai S. Kemble, you can visit her website. Or, you can stop by her blog.

Finally, if you’d like to see what other reviewers had to say about this book, you can visit:

Books That Heal Kids

Jen Robinson’s Book Page