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Summary
Summary
The Day the Crayons Quit meets Winnie the Pooh in this hilarious and tea -riffic illustrated picture book about stuffed animals who start bickering at their tea party.
It's tea time at Clarissa's house, but her guests are not in the mood for a party:
Elephant is upset about the ice cream Clarissa dropped on his head.
Rabbit is still damp from being left outside.
Pig has a rip that's yet to be repaired.
Monkey is miffed over being put to bed when he wasn't even tired.
Bear has been forgotten all week long.
And, the stuffies declare, Clarissa thinks she's Queen of the Universe!
So instead of a tea party, Clarissa finds herself at a crankypants party! Can Clarissa and her stuffed animals make up before their tea gets cold, or will they continue to steep in their crankiness?
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--Written as a play with indicated parts for seven characters, this story features Clarissa, who emerges from a teapot-shaped house and invites her stuffed animals to a party. Unfortunately, they each bear a grievance against her and refuse to attend. Pup tries to smooth things over, to no avail. When it starts pouring, the animals leave their perch atop a large blue-trunked tree and march into the house, leaving Clarissa outside. But it's no fun in the dark without her and when she declares them all her favorites and addresses their complaints, they join the party with an enthusiastic "Thank you, Clarissa." Both text and the acrylic cartoon illustrations provide ample doses of humor. The frowning animals, paws across their chests, refuse to perform the tasks Clarissa assigns, only to fight over who does them later. The day shifts from bright sunshine to being overshadowed under ever larger storm clouds, and back to sunshine when the party begins. The teapot's interior transforms as well, from black to bright yellow as attitudes change. VERDICT This humorous offering will resonate with young readers who also have their own "crankypants" moments, and they will enjoy acting out the play.--Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA
Publisher's Weekly Review
A girl named Clarissa pops out of her teapot-shaped house and invites an ensemble cast of stuffed animals to an al fresco tea party in this picture book play. "NO THANK YOU!" they chorus, unleashing a litany of complaints ("Rabbit:... You left me outside. I'm still damp") and some infighting ("Pup: Elephant's a big baby"). Declaring them all "a big bunch of CRANKYPANTS," Clarissa continues preparing for the party, even as storm clouds roll in and grievance grows into full-out mutiny ("Pig: I'm losing my stuffing. BECAUSE OF YOU"). The bickering toys really do have their owner's number when they call her "Queen Clarissa"--she's more than a little unapologetic, even if her reasoning reveals good intent ("Clarissa: I left Rabbit outside because he said he enjoyed the breeze"). Bottner's (I Am Here Now) playscript-style text offers a terrific readaloud--there's nothing like strong personalities and squabbling to inspire dramatic performances. And bold, bright acrylic illustrations by Barba (Time Out!) are spot-on, capturing blithe determination, nursed grudges, and, eventually, friendships largely repaired. Ages 4--7. Author's agent: Rick Richter, Aevitas Creative Management. Illustrator's agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (June)
Kirkus Review
Clarissa invites her stuffed animals to a tea party, but they respond with gruff, grumpy refusals. The animals (Elephant, Rabbit, Pig, Monkey, Bear, and Pup) all harbor different grudges, which they share with Clarissa (a paper-white, ebony-haired tot about their size) while she brightly tries to persuade them to party. "Clarissa: Let's get started. Who's going to bring the chairs? / Rabbit: Not me. Nuh-uh. You left me outside. I'm still damp. / Pig: I'm losing my stuffing. BECAUSE OF YOU!" All those colons and speaker designations appear throughout what could've been a charming story, compromising lively dialogue and disrupting narrative flow. Sadly stilted when read aloud, this book won't find an audience with independent readers, who will find the stuffed animals and their grievances (lost stuffing, knotted shoelaces, and soap in the eyes) just a bit too infantile. Readers of any age can relate to occasionally acting like a crankypants, and they can also find much to love in such evocative, empathetic illustrations. Acrylics give color (lemony yellows, grass greens, and mellow reds) and shape (lovely, loose linework) to vivid feelings (shown effectively as weather changes). The group reaches reconciliation as Clarissa unravels a series of misunderstandings, demonstrating how heightened emotional moments can resolve and actually bring people closer together. Unfortunately, the narrative form will keep readers from appreciating all this. Delightful art and charming characters can't compensate for a flawed narrative structure. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Stuffed animals stage a mutiny over alleged abuses foisted upon them by their young owner in this hilarious account of a tea party gone wrong. Clarissa, a little girl who lives in an oversize teapot, finds that getting her six stuffed animals together for a little tea party is like herding cats. It's worse, actually, because the "stuffies" flat-out refuse to join in. They've got grievances. For example, Clarissa dropped ice cream on Elephant's head at the last tea party, and Rabbit is still damp from being left outside all week. The climax comes with the stuffies taking over Clarissa's teapot house, shutting her out. The illustrations, done in acrylics, are suitably childlike, with bold outlines, flat-looking characters and objects, and wonderful, fantastical touches like having the animals walk sideways up trees. Finally, Clarissa listens to the stuffies and explains her behavior (it was all out of love). This is not only visually and verbally fun but also a wonderful exercise in building empathy, by showing the mindsets of the stuffed animals.