Ginny Louise and the School Showdown
by Tammi Sauer; Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
Disney-Hyperion (June 16, 2015)
Audience: Ages 3-5
Fiction * Social Issues * Friendship
IndieBound | WorldCat
About the book:
The Truman Elementary Troublemakers are a bad bunch. Especially these three: Cap'n Catastrophe, Destructo Dude, and Make-My-Day May. But they are no match for Ginny Louise, the new hedgehog in school. Her unwavering cheerfulness in the face of their bullying will make young readers holler with glee. Full of rhymes, wordplay, and comic misunderstanding, this book will lend itself well to reading aloud as well as discussions about peer dynamics.
My thoughts on the book:
How can you not love a group of scallywags with monikers such as Cap'n Catastrophe, Destructo Dude, and Make-My-Day May. I just might want to borrow that last one.
And then in comes Ginny Louise, who seems to be everything that the others are not.
When Make-My-Day May tells Ginny Louise: "Yer gonna pay." Ginny Louise replies: "I'd love to stay! Thanks, new best friend!" Well maybe Ginny Louise is onto something. Hear what you want to hear, and ignore the rest.
These classroom troublemakers cannot seem to figure out what to do with Ginny Louise, who has a way of charming herself into everyone's life, especially Make-My-Day May.
However, just in case you thought that Ginny Louise was too perfect for stirring up a wild ruckus, guess again.
Though this book is filled with a number of things that will make you smile and charm even the most cantankerous listener, there are a number of lines and actions in this book that can provide a way to talk with students about welcoming new students, and how to work with others and maybe even a way to be brave in the face of bullies.
Look for Ginny Louise and the School Showdown at your local indie bookstore or public library.
Interview with Tammi Sauer:
If you could describe your book in 2 sentences, how would you describe it to someone?
The Truman Elementary Troublemakers are a bad bunch, but they are no match for Ginny Louise, the new hedgehog in school. Her irrepressible cheerfulness has what it takes to turn even the scowliest, growliest crowd around.
Ginny Louise and the School Showdown has an element of friendship, belonging, or the hope for something very special, what did you draw on to get the emotional element just right in the story?
No one is 100% bad or 100% good. Make-My-Day May is the ringleader of the Truman Elementary Troublemakers. I wanted to show that underneath her rough and tough exterior is raccoon who appreciates moments of kindness, too. I also wanted to show that Ginny Louise isn’t perfectly sweet. In the end, it’s clear she has a touch of orneriness as well.
Any new projects that you are working on that you can share with us?
Next summer, more mayhem takes place at Truman Elementary in Ginny Louise and the School Field Day.
I also have two new titles coming out soon. Your Alien (Sterling), illustrated by Goro Fujita, hits shelves on August 4, and Roar! (Paula Wiseman Books/S&S), illustrated by Liz Starin, arrives on the scene on September 29.
Summer and vacations go hand-in-hand. If you could go on vacation with your favorite book character (either in your own book or from someone else's book) who would you vacation with and what would you do?
Hmm! I would like to travel to Hawaii with Crocodile from The Watermelon Seed. I love his energy. I love his personality. And, truth be told, I LOVE watermelon. The two of us would spend our days on the beach eating big slabs of (seedless) watermelon. At night, we would attend various luaus (preferably ones that served watermelon).
About the author:
Tammi Sauer grew up on a farm and graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She has ten kid-friendly picture books to her credit, including Nugget & Fang, Me Want Pet! and Oh, Nuts!. In addition to being a writer, she has taught summer school, pre-kindergarten, and the middle school electives Creative Writing and Storytelling; she also spent two years serving as a library media specialist. Tammi lives in Edmond, Oklahoma with her husband, son, and daughter. You can find her here: website | twitter | facebook Photo credit: Dana Lang Photography
Thank you to Disney Hyperion for offering a giveaway of this very special book. To enter the giveaway, please complete the rafflecopter below. Winners must be 13 years or older and have an US mailing address.