Earrings!

by Judith Viorst, Nola Langner Malone (Illustrator)

She wants them. She needs them. She loves them. Earrings! What won’t a girl do to finally get her ears pierced? Find out in this delightful tale that perfectly captures the yearnings of a young girl in desperate need of beautiful, glorious earrings!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Family, Humor, Writing, Poetry

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Judith Viorst is an American writer, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature. This includes The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (about the death of a pet) and the Alexander series of short picture books, which includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), which has sold over two million copies.
Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968, she signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, Viorst turned to the study of Freudian psychology. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, most children can identify with wanting something very badly and constantly hearing "No" from their parents. In this case, the desired and forbidden object is earrings! Virost does a great job of capturing that gut-wrenching desire, and Malone's illustrations are just so cute and humorous. I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure what the overall "message" was here, though, as there doesn't seem to be any resolution and I don't really like whiny behavior (which, in this case, seems to go unchecked--though I think the ending can be interpreted in a few different ways, so perhaps it is!) I was surprised that, even with a 1990 copyright date, one of the girls' arguments for getting earrings included the fact that "teachers and lady dentists wear earrings" but, otherwise, I think the emotions conveyed are pretty timeless ;-)

[Alexis Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earrings by Judith Viorst is such a cute and humorous book. It's about a young girl who is trying her hardest to persuade her parents to let her get her ears pierced. However, she isn't being very successful because he reasonings aren't that good. It's a very engaging book that really makes you feel a part of the story with all the expression throughout. This book would be excellent to use in grades k-third when teaching persuasive writing!

[Abbey Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have for any teacher's classroom! I use this every year to teach persuasive writing and the kids LOVE it! It is one of the stories in my room that they ask me to read to them on a regular basis. Judith Viorst does an amazing job of painting a picture/story between a young girl and her parents. It's a fabulous book!

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earrings is a fun book with lots of humor. Children will love this book and it is a great red aloud for the classroom! This book uses a lot of expression behind reading it, which children enjoy because it is engaging. It also uses repetition of words that students can become familiar with as the story progresses. The story is about a little girl who wants pierced ears really, really bad, and she drives her parents crazy over it. She is constantly coming up with reasons on why she needs them and uses these reasons to persuade her parents. This book is a great way to introduce persuasive writing to students and talk about different ways that she tries to persuade her parents into letting her get her ears pierced. This book is fun to read out loud and a great resource for examples of persuasive techniques. Also, the illustrations are very simple but go along perfectly with the story. Because the story's content has so much expression, I think it was a good idea to keep the pictures simple, yet still create a visual of the text's emotion.

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a young girl's lament about the fact that her parents do not think she is quite old enough for pierced ears. She gives many reasons why she wants them. She tells the many ways in which she acts responsibly. She even has a list of all the ways earrings will be positive influence in her life. She asks, she begs, she cries, she makes many promises all in hopes of having "Beautiful, glorious earrings for pierced ears."

The illustrations in this story are colorful and fun. The story is an echo of many young girl's laments over the fact they cannot yet have pierced ears. And yet, what young lady doesn't want to wear the fun, dangly, colorful jewelry on her ears? This book will be a big hit with all of the young ladies. It is advertized for ages 6-10. This is a perfect age range.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, you could substitute almost anything a child wants badly and the text would work. It's been a while, but I think I remember these same arguments from some of my own children: "I'm the only one in the whole world who doesn't. . . " On the other hand, who hasn't had the feeling of the refrain: "I want them. I need them. I love them. Beautiful earrings. Glorious earrings." Again, anything can be substituted. Very fun, and the illustrations are a great fit for the emotions expressed in the text.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be a bit dated, but it's still fun. A little girl wants pierced ears in the worst way. She rhapsodizes about how beautiful and glorious it would be to wear earrings in her pierced ears, and she's sure she's the only girl in the whole world whose ears aren't pierced. She cajoles, she promises, she persists, she reasons. The illustrations are cute and funny. A good book for a girl who wants to have her ears pierced, or for one who's just had them pierced.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book when looking for an example of a persuasive text. It certainly delivers in that department. I only wish that I had found this sooner when my daughter was at the age of begging for pierced ears. I think that maybe Judith Viorst was eavesdropping and collecting ideas right outside my door!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because as a child I could relate to the main character so well. I wish I would have read sooner!

[Kayley King]

I think this book is great for girls who have ever wanted to get their ears pierced and were repeatedly turned down by their parents because they weren't old enough. It is humorous and cute and the concept can really be applied to any kid that may feel this way about something that they want in their lives. This book is appropriate for all grade levels and could be used to teach narrative writing on a topic about something that kids really want. The illustrations were simple yet perfect for every situation presented in the book and it looks like they were water colored, making it an art project that kids could use to illustrate their stories as well.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

The interesting thing about this persuasive book is that I feel like it takes place over a few years. The main character wants earrings, and her parents want her to wait. The thing that makes me not like it is the thought that this took place over a few years, and she does nothing but whine about earrings and how she wants them. I’m hardly persuaded by whining. Lol!

On the other hand, maybe that was the intention. Make that little girl annoying.

[Emma Rewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an eternal fan of Judith Viorst, but this one has always fallen short for me. While I was required to read it to my second graders, I don’t think I would ever read it to my personal children because of the attitude the main character gives off. Plus, there seems to be no real resolution: she doesn’t get her ears pierced, nor does she come to terms with not having them. All that said, Judith Viorst certainly earns her fame no matter what she writes - and this book is no exception.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful choice as a mentor text regarding persuasive writing. The character, desperately wanting pierced ears and earrings, not only gives a number of arguments but also tries to anticipate their counter arguments and respond to those as well. I will definitely use this again.

[Michelle Breniser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic Fiction. K-4. I remember all three of my girls going through the I really need earrings faze! This is a fun and relatable book for young girls and their parents. I think it makes a nice addition to a classroom library. The length is great for developing readers.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for my classroom, it helped me show persuasion for writing

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand what the point of this book was - it's a picture book about whining. It was especially disappointing as the author's 'Alexander' books are so good. This book is 100% skipable.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

My teacher read this story to us for Children's Literature. I thought it was very cute and relatable. I remember begging my parents to get my ears pierced. :,)

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny. Great read-aloud to young girls (especially ones in the throes of wanting pierced ears).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous book about a little girl who just wants her ears pierced and all that she promises yo do if her parents will just hive her permission.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hate that it doesn't give a concrete ending. Students were not happy either!

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book over and over to my grandchildren. It’s a winner!

[Kaitlyn Halbrook]

This book would be good for students to be able to read rather than having it for a read aloud. It has a lot of repeated phrases.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a terrific book that helps tell a child's side of the story when parents deny her a certain privilege or request. This is a particularly pertinent example for us, because in our family we allow our girls to get their ears pierced at age 8. I know that it's a somewhat capricious decision to pick that age, but that's when I got my ears pierced and I wanted them to both make the decision themselves and (hopefully) remember the experience. So our oldest has made the leap, but our youngest is still shy of that milestone and she has been bugging us off and on about it. We've stood firm on this particular family rule (as we always try to do with our rules), but I know that our youngest can certainly relate to the little girl in this story. It's not the first time that we've heard, "but all the kids in my class get to..." and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Overall, it's an entertaining story and the illustrations are very expressive. We enjoyed reading this story together. We really enjoy
Judith Viorst's stories and we will certainly look for more of her books at our local library.

[Angela Galvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earrings by Judith Viorst is a story of a girl who is longing of earrings. The girl in the story is pleading with her parents to get her hairs pierced. In the story the girl talks about how all of the “grown-up” professional ladies have earrings. The girls talks about all the girls in her school having earrings. The girls talks about how her parents think that earrings for her age are inappropriate, tacky and premature. The girl talks about how mature she is; she clears the dinner plates and takes showers, without being told. This is a story about a child’s desire to get something that they think will forever change their life. The girl brags that if she gets earrings, she would never ask for new clothes, she was would just wear different earrings. Children can resonate with really wanting something and their parents saying “no”. The story uses classic phrases such as “I am the only girl in the whole world who doesn’t have earrings” or “my parents are so old fashion”. This book would be appropriate for k-third grade level. This story would be a good mentor to teach persuasive writing.

[Angie Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would not let my daughter or son, read this book unless I was taking them to get their ears pierced in the next 24 hours.

[Megan Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this book, I just thought it was cute and quirky. I knew my students would love it, because what kid can't relate to begging and bugging the heck out of their parents for something? Then I thought about it...and this is a great book to show an example of persuasive writing!! This little girl comes up with a ton of reasons to convince her parents of why she needs earrings. It is a great way to show my students that they already know how to persuade; now we just have to write it down.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems kind of out-dated, maybe?

Here in Canada, anyway, most people these days seem fine with getting their children's ears pierced early on (I was 5-ish, one of my cousins was a few months old. A co-worker who moved here from the Philippines said that her daughters had their ears pierced a few days or hours after birth, in the hospital.), it's not really considered something that's a big deal. It seems odd for the parents in the book to be so conservative.

It's okay, but I don't know how much children today would relate to the story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In first grade just before I turned six I was obsessed with getting my ears pierced, as far as I was concerned a life of stick and clip-ons was a fate worse than death. My wonderful teacher Mrs. Martello gave me a copy of this book because she thought I would appreciate a girl who was going through the same thing that I was (she and I both swore to our parents that we would DIE if we couldn't get our ears pierced).
What a great book, and a great memory of a wonderful teacher.

[Jamie Tedesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story that many little girls (and boys) can relate to. Wanting to get your ears pierced is what many young children want but not as many parents are willing to comply.
The story really makes you think (spoiler alert) it will end with a little girl wearing a pair of beautiful earrings in her freshly pierced ears but it ends with the real life situation of a little girls still dreaming about her pierced ears.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earrings! is a great read aloud to introduce persuasive writing to students. This little girl wants her ears pierced and she will not take no for an answer. This story allows readers to see her persistence and determination to get her ears pierced. I would read this to both primary and intermediate students. The students could write a persuasive piece to their parents about something that they really want.