Claire Alexander (1) (1973–)

This is an incredibly sweet book. The drawings and characters are simple, yet they evoke so much emotion from the reader! I thought I was just being silly when I read it and my eyes filled with tears when the main character wondered, "Why didn't they like it?" But then my kids each read that line with such gentle sadness, I knew they were both empathizing with the character, too.
It really is a simple story, too. But there are some complexities in the illustrations and text that warrant show more multiple reads of the book, and will likely generate some questions the second and third time.
This is not a sad book, though. There is also a part at the end guaranteed to get a smile or laugh from most kids. show less

Stan, is very excited to make a birthday card for Mr. Slippers. Stan's art is exceptional, but when it is time to write the words he seems to struggle. Stan can not seem to get his words to come out right. Some of his letters are upside down. Stan is scared to ask for help, because he does not want anyone else to make fun of him. As a child who struggled with Dyslexia this story gave me a lot of anxiety. You often compare your self to other students and it can be discouraging. I really like show more that this book normalized students who struggle with reading and writing. show less

Stan and the rest of the class are excited to do something special for the Principal's birthday, but when he finds out that it involves writing his excitement turns to dread. Stan's letters don't come out like everyone else's and he is too embarrassed to ask for help. This story was very eye-opening, for me especially. I never considered dyslexia to be that big of a deal, but reading this story helped me feel the frustration and anxiety that comes with it. I, like most others, hated reading show more aloud in class it always made me so nervous, now imagine adding a disability on top of that. This story really puts the reader in the shoes of Stan and also shows how even though we may not want to, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. show less

It is Mr.Slipper's birthday and he invites the entire class to his party. Miss Catnip wants each student in her class to make a birthday card for him. Stan was so excited to make a card until Miss Catnip said that they had to write "Happy Birthday". Stan was very upset because his letters were back-to-front and upside-down. Stan was afraid that if he asked for help, the other students would make fun of him. He was afraid to ask for help until he talked to Jack. Once Stan finally asked Miss show more Catnip for help, he realized he was not the only one who needed help writing letters. This would be a good story to read to young children when they are learning how to write. It shows them not to be afraid to ask for help when they need it. show less