The Spelling Bee Before Recess

July 15, 2013
It's down to the final three. Can "The Slugger" win the big spelling bee? The championship round starts with easy words, like "cupcake" and "brain." Then there are harder words, like "reindeer," "rumpus" "llama" and ""giraffe," images of which go right from The Slugger's mind onto the page. Cornelius is eliminated on the word "mysterious," so only Ruby stands between him and victory. After nine rounds, the bee is deadlocked, and the principal makes a dramatic decision: The two contestants will give the definitions of words as well as spell them. The next word up is "sesquipedalian." The Slugger makes his best guess, but..."I was out! I'd been benched! / I was out like a jerk. / Ruby rose from her chair / and went straight to her work." The next day, it takes his teacher to gently set him straight. Ruby won since she knows what matters is to use words well; reading is better than just memorizing words. "And there's always next year." Armstrong-Ellis' illustrations--a complex product of gouache, ink and colored pencil--have sharp resolution and humorous touches, though they seem aimed at a younger audience than the text. Rose's "Casey at the Bat"-inflected verse is above average, but her baseball analogy is inconsistent, and worthy though it is, her message comes out of left field. A blooper. (Picture book. 5-9)

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October 1, 2013

Gr 1-3-This delightful rhyming tale of one school's spelling bee not only shares new vocabulary with readers but also shows that no one wins at everything. The finals come down to just three students: Cornelius, dubbed the "genius," who is out of the competition first; Ruby, a musically inclined, avid reader; and one baseball player known as "The Slugger," who tells the story of how he does not win the contest. The whole school learns about a new word, "sesquipedalian," when Ruby spells the word correctly and also defines it in a tie-breaking round. A note from the author indicates that the words in this competition were compiled from hundreds of spelling lists from across the country. Colorful, expressive illustrations support the excitement and anticipation created through the text. This story will fill a need in school libraries for books about spelling, vocabulary, sportsmanship, and school community-building.-Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
In a rhyming text reminiscent of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," Rose tells the story of a spelling bee that can only be won by knowing how a really big word is spelled and what it means. The pro-reading message is heartfelt, but the delivery feels strained, especially at the end. Armstrong-Ellis tempers the effect with humorous pencil and gouache art.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)