What a Story!

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Sara likes her new teacher, but she doesn’t like having to do the
writing assignments that she’s given. Sara can’t imagine what it
would be like to be an insect, to be in a big storm, or to be in love,
even though it seems easy for her classmates to do. So, instead of
writing a story, Sara makes up imaginative excuses for why she doesn’t
have a paper to present to the class. When wonderful Mrs. Tuddle
discovers that Sarah has been inventing excuses, she doesn’t admonish
her for her reluctance to complete the assignments, but encourages her
to put her imagination to work for her. With Mrs. Tuddle’s help, Sara
gets started and once she begins, she finds that it is easy to express
herself in writing.

This is a very fine chapter book with a story that is easy for children
to relate to and understand. The expressive graphics on every page give
visual clues to the text and are in themselves lively and entertaining.
The excellent use of repetition in the plot structure builds suspense
and allows the reader to anticipate the action. Highly recommended.