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Scribbleville
Living in a world filled with scribbles and squiggly lines, the residence fall into a state of chaos when a stick-straight newcomer arrives and builds a perfectly square house in their community, yet the intriguing nature of one young boy helps to ease their fears after he meets the new neighbor and reveals to them all a very special secret!
Hardcover
First published June 16, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 24, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
May 2, 2018
Everything and everyone is made out of scribbles in Scribblesville. So how will life change when a straight house is built on the street?
Such a clever idea and wonderful message for children!
Such a clever idea and wonderful message for children!
October 17, 2016
Very cute book about being yourself.
February 22, 2017
I actually came across this book in class and I loved it. I thought it had a great message behind the story. Its about accepting people for who they are. This book would be a good way to introduce diversity in a class.
February 15, 2017
Loved this book! It was all about making friends with people who aren't like you and to see past their appearance. You have to get to know someone before you go off and judge them. The people in scribbleville were very accepting of people that were different from them and that teaches kids not to judge one an other and to always get to know someone before you talk about them. This is one of my favorite children's books.
December 23, 2008
I’d just read this author illustrator’s book The Big Blue Spot and I wanted to read his other books. This is another creative effort. I love children’s book creators who can both write and illustrate and this author does a magnificent job with doing both.
This is a perfect read aloud book. The rhyming story reminded me of Dr. Seuss’s books. The story contains a bit of social commentary and does so in a fun way. The message that differences among people should not be the cause of exclusion/separation between them and that once we get used to any differences they’re not even very noticeable is a great message of tolerance and acceptance, and of compromise and change too.
This is a perfect read aloud book. The rhyming story reminded me of Dr. Seuss’s books. The story contains a bit of social commentary and does so in a fun way. The message that differences among people should not be the cause of exclusion/separation between them and that once we get used to any differences they’re not even very noticeable is a great message of tolerance and acceptance, and of compromise and change too.
January 24, 2011
Welcome to Scribbleville, where everything is made entirely of wiggles, squiggles, and scribbles. Straight lines are nowhere to be found, and the people of Scribbleville like it that way! Until the day an odd-looking stranger arrives . . . He is as straight as a stick. He builds a square house with a pointed roof.Wherever he goes, people stare and think: Someone should tell him he doesn't belong! And perhaps he doesn't. Until one child looks beyond the edges and sees what others cannot.
A simple fable and childlike illustrations speak equally to children and adults about the beauty inherent in differences.
Great little story to share and to teach.
A simple fable and childlike illustrations speak equally to children and adults about the beauty inherent in differences.
Great little story to share and to teach.
August 10, 2016
After reading the book Scribbleville with Caroline I knew it was one that we needed to review. It is a beautiful story that eloquently teaches children not to be afraid of people who are different.
This would be the ideal read for a children’s lesson on:
scribbletolerance
kindness
the acceptance of others
being oneself
opposites (scribbles vs. straight)
families
friends
children’s influence (the hero is a child)
the parts of a good story
character development
art theory (turning scribbles into pictures)
Go over to the blog for our video review.
http://inloveathome.com/2013/12/04/sc...
This would be the ideal read for a children’s lesson on:
scribbletolerance
kindness
the acceptance of others
being oneself
opposites (scribbles vs. straight)
families
friends
children’s influence (the hero is a child)
the parts of a good story
character development
art theory (turning scribbles into pictures)
Go over to the blog for our video review.
http://inloveathome.com/2013/12/04/sc...
April 8, 2008
In Scribbeville, where everything is made of squiggly lines, residents are scandalized by the arrival of a stranger made of straight lines. Although Scribbleville citizens are initially resistant to this man, a child helps everyone appreciate his differences.
Fun way to teach children about the absurdities of prejudice. Great analogy to interracial marriage – the town is horrified by the stick straight man’s relationship to a scribbled woman. Especially important- a child teaches the adults about tolerance, a teacher follows the trend. Illustrations are a little juvenile though.
Fun way to teach children about the absurdities of prejudice. Great analogy to interracial marriage – the town is horrified by the stick straight man’s relationship to a scribbled woman. Especially important- a child teaches the adults about tolerance, a teacher follows the trend. Illustrations are a little juvenile though.
April 2, 2012
The norm in Scribbleville is, of course, scribbles, and when a straight-lined truck with smooth round wheels rolls into town the tension begins. Told in generally competent rhymed verse it is an anaolgy about stereotypes, prejudice, etc. with some kid appeal, but a somewhat blatant and predictable message.
I was uncomfortable with the adjectives used for the "scribbled" traits (messy hair, chicken-scratch cats, etc.).
I was uncomfortable with the adjectives used for the "scribbled" traits (messy hair, chicken-scratch cats, etc.).
April 23, 2013
I loved this book. I think it is great book to teach children the lesson of equality and treating everyone the same no matter how different. It would also be a good book to have an art assignment go along with it.
May 22, 2011
Love this story. It should be required reading for all families. What a great way to teach kids about diversity!
March 26, 2012
I like the book because it gives you a lesson that people may look different but they're still a person. Somebody may look different but greet then in a kind way not a mean way. A.
December 10, 2014
I love the themes touched upon this book! Racism, diversity, etc. Me and my friend did a co-taught lesson using this book on vocabulary of tier two words and the children loved this book!
April 12, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews