The Missing Donut (Big Words Small Stories Series)

by Judith Henderson, T. L. McBeth (Illustrator)

Overview

Here’s a collection of short stories with a twist. The five stories all feature the misadventures of a boy named Cris, who “likes things all in a row,” and his cat, Crat, who “likes to mix things up.” Running within each of these lighthearted stories is another story, this one about the Sprinkle Fairy, owner of a word factory in Sicily, “where the best words in the world come from.” The Sprinkle Fairy has a team of helpers, called the Sprinklers, who have slipped one of her big words (like, discombobulated) into each of the small stories. Luckily, the Sprinklers provide warnings right before the big words appear (“Big word coming!”) and include their pronunciations and meanings afterward. Then, a bonus story at the end — “A Small Play on Big Words” — uses all the big words together.

Judith Henderson has created an innovative approach to an early reader that involves children in simple, fun-to-read stories, while using a clever, playful device to enrich their vocabularies at the same time. The quirky stories are funny, with storylines that build on each other. The appealing blend of deadpan and slapstick humor in the text is paired with multiple spot illustrations by T. L. McBeth on every page. The tone and accessibility are pitch-perfect for emerging readers. This title is part of a three-book series — each book with its own character duo, but all starring the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771387880
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	09/04/2018
Series:	Big Words Small Stories Series , #1
Pages:	52
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Judith Henderson is an Emmy Award-winning children's TV composer and producer. The Missing Donut is her first children's book. Judith lives in Montreal, Quebec.

T. L. MCBETH is the illustrator of Stegothesaurus and the Big Words Small Stories series. His work has been displayed at the Society of Illustrators. He lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

A HUMDINGER for budding wordplay fans.—Booklist

... a beautifully written and skillfully illustrated book which will help young readers build their vocabulary ...—CM Magazine

... a strong choice for emerging readers and will appeal to male and female readers!—Resource Links

From the Publisher

2018-06-25
Sprinklers say the darnedest things.Let's backtrack. Sprinklers are blob-shaped critters of diverse size and color who are helpers of the Sprinkle Fairy. They appear in each of the six brief, unrelated stories about a boy named Cris and his cat, Crat, to introduce, with fanfare ("Big Word! Big Word!"), an unfamiliar word to emergent and early-middle-grade readers. There's an arbitrary feel to the presentation, as though the tales were constructed around the words. The words are ones readers may not have realized they might want to know: "purloined," "discombobulated," "bamboozled," "smithereens," and "galoshes." More commonplace words in the stories that young children may feel are equally important, including "wizard," "fairy," or "sprinkle," aren't singled out (although, granted, they aren't as big). Each new word gets special treatment: It's used several times in context, sometimes in different forms; a pronunciation guide is provided; and it's defined at the story's conclusion. The final tale reinforces all the new vocabulary. Perhaps due to this conceit, the stories are only faintly amusing, with endings that fall flat. The cartoon illustrations, however, reminiscent of those in Mo Willems' Elephant & Piggie books, are whimsical, expressive, and appealing, and they feature ample white space and capitalized sound effects. Cris and the Sprinkle Fairy are both pale-skinned, but depicted groups are diverse.It's not the worst way to introduce some new, unusual words, but this is unlikely to stimulate repeat readings. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews