BACK TO FRONT AND UPSIDE DOWN

A little dog who has trouble with the mechanics of writing musters up the courage to ask his teacher for help.

Stan is excited about the birthday cards his class is making for the principal…until Miss Catnip tells them the cards have to include words. He tries his hardest, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, to copy the words, but they come out “back to front and upside down, and some didn’t look like letters at all!” Within the multispecies classroom, Stan sits with a huge clock looming behind him, while a page turn places Stan against a completely black background, beautifully conveying Stan’s emotional turmoil and isolation. A friend convinces him to ask Miss Catnip for help, despite his fear that everyone will laugh at him. And when he does, not only does no one laugh, but Mimi turns out to need help as well. After Miss Catnip shows them how to form their letters, one afternoon of practice allows Stan to improve enough to proudly present Mr. Slippers with his birthday card that same school day. The rough "handwritten" type reflects the topic, but it may make it difficult for beginners to read, and certainly should not be emulated by those learning to write—the “r” looks like a “v,” and there are some letters that appear to be capitals when the context calls for lowercase. 

While Stan’s improvement is a little too good to be true, Alexander’s message is clear: “We all have to ask for help sometimes.” (Picture book. 4-7)