Just Stay Put: A Chelm Story

by Gary Clement

Disinclined to work and perpetually daydreaming, Mendel leaves his family behind to journey to exciting Warsaw, an adventure that is cut short when a shepherd rearranges the napping Mendel's boots.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 27, 1996

About the author

Gary Clement is a Canadian artist, cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. He’s the author and illustrator of several children’s books, among them The Great Poochini, which earned Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award in Children’s Literature—Illustration, and most recently illustrated My Winter City, written by James Gladstone. His illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and many other newspapers and magazines across North America. K Is in Trouble is his debut graphic novel.

Reviews

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very silly man named Mendel who lived in the village of Chelm wanted a change. So he decided he would travel to Warsaw to see the sights of that great city. On the journey, he got tired and decided to take a nap. He took off his boots and pointed them in the direction he was suppose to go so he would remember which way to go when he woke up. While he was sleeping two other travelers moved his boots and they ended up pointing back toward his village. When he arrived back home he thought he was in a replica village and spent the rest of his life thinking he was somewhere new, but exactly the same as where he came from.

A rather weird and clunky story.

Illustrations are okay.