Written and Illustrated by Peter Holwitz
Philomel Books, 2005
ISBN: 0-399-24303-8
About the Author
Peter Holwitz is a published author and an illustrator of children's books. Some of the published credits of Peter Holwitz include Scribbleville, Stick Kid, and The Big Blue Spot.
Everyone Is The Same In Scribbleville
Scribbleville is a pleasant little town where everyone and everything is scribbled. The people have scribbled houses, scribbled pets and they walk with wiggles. There is not a single straight line in Scribbleville.
One day, a stranger moves into town and Scribbleville is never the same. The newcomer is straight, not scribbled, and drives a big yellow truck that is as straight as a stick. The man builds a perfectly straight house with a white picket fence around the yard. The people in Scribbleville are shocked and upset.
Wherever he went, the people would stare.
"Look at his clothes." "Who cuts his hair?"
"He doesn't fit in. He looks all wrong.
Should someone tell him he doesn't belong?"
The Scribblers shun the newcomer with the straight house and the straight picket fence. Then a woman walks up to the straight man's fence and begins to talk to him. She has a big scribbled smile and a red scribbled dress. They soon become friends. The folks in Scribbleville are furious.
"I admit", she said, as her
scribbled head shook.
"on the outside he's odd, but
that's not where I look."
Children are often the first to accept changes. A youngster in school draws a picture that is part scribble and part straight. A teacher wears a straight tie around his scribbled neck. Soon the kids begin to wear straight lines too.
It's tough to say - to pick one day.
Things never change overnight.
But before too long, what once felt wrong,
Started to feel a bit right.
The stranger isn't strange anymore. He marries the woman in the red scribbled dress. They have two kids...one is scribbled and one is not. Now, Scribbleville is a town where everyone fits in.
My Thoughts
I really like this book. It deals with prejudice, racism, change, acceptance, tolerance and friendship. These are all social issues that children must deal with on a daily basis. This book is written in rhyme and reminds me of the way Dr. Seuss would deal with social issues in a light-hearted manner.
The scribbled illustrations are excellent and children should be encouraged to create their own scribbled drawings. These illustrations really make this book unique and wonderful.
Scribbleville is about accepting other people who are different than the majority. They might be a different race, have a disability or speak with a foreign accent. The world would be a better place if every town would follow the example of Scribbleville. I highly recommend this book for children of all ages.
Book Giveaway
Would you like to have your very own copy of Scribbleville? I found this book at a Friends of the Library sale and would like to pass along my good fortune to one of my blog readers. This is a former library book. The front blank page has been removed and the word "DISCARD" is stamped on the title page and inside the back cover. The name of the library has been marked out.
This book is out-of-print and somewhat difficult to find at a reasonable price.
You must do the following TWO things to enter this contest;
(1.) Leave a COMMENT in the Comments Section of this blog post and include your email address so that I will have a way to contact the winner.
(2.) FOLLOW this blog with Google Friend Connect or Networked Blogs.
(3.) Each entrant must be at least 18 years old...Only ONE entry per person.
(4.) This contest is worldwide. I will ship the book via USPS Priority mail at my expense.
I will randomly draw a winner from all the blog comments at noon (Central Time) on Tuesday, May 15. I will email the winner and that person will have 48 hours to respond by sending me their shipping address. If I don't get a reply from the winner, I will choose another name on Friday, May 18. I will announce the winner of the contest on this blog the following week.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
