How Many Candles?

by Helen V. Griffith, Sonja Lamut (Illustrations)

Dogs, boys, cats, turtles, even gnats, do not age in quite the same way. But try explaining this to Alex the whippet! The all-knowing cat gives his canine friend a patient lesson in relative time in the animal kingdom--although Alex just wants to know how many candles to put on his best friend Robbie's birthday cake. One thing adds up for sure, though, this rib-tickling odd couple (now appearing in picture-book format) is sure to delight their growing legions of young fans!

Genres: Childrens

24 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

In Her Own Words...

"What I like about writing books is that I can sit and think about things that most adults never think about, and it's okay because I'm a children's book writer.

I can imagine what my dog is dreaming about or what she and my cat discuss when I'm not around. I can design a time machine or make up a tall tale, and nobody says, "Grow up, Helen"--because I'm a children's book writer.

I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and I work in the family business. We're distributors of roofing and siding materials, and I've never yet gotten a story inspiration from that. Most of my ideas seem to come from dogs I have known.

My grandfather was part of our family and used to read to me a lot-the Sunday funny papers, turn-of-the-century primers, and The Arabian Nights. When I could read for myself, I read fairy tales, dog and horse stories, and comic books by the dozen.

I started writing poems and the beginnings of novels by the age of seven or eight, but I was forty before I thought about writing for publication.

For fun, I like reading (especially Anthony Trollope) and birdwatching, and I've just started learning to play old-time fiddle!"

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a confusing book!!!

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story that helps kids to understand how different critters have different lifespans.