Raising Sweetness

Sweetness

by Diane Stanley, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

The lovable heroine of Saving Sweetness is back, and she's spunkier than ever! Fed up with the kindhearted sheriff's bumbling attempts to make a home for them, Sweetness and the other orphans decide that it's time to find the sheriff a wife. And when a mysterious letter arrives one day, Sweetness thinks it might hold the solution to their problems. Only problem is, none of them can read the letter to find out! So once again, it's up to Sweetness to save the day. With a rollicking rhythm and hilarious illustrations that capture the spirit of story, this is a sequel that's just as satisfying as the first book.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Adoption, School, Juvenile, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1999

About the author

Diane Stanley is an American children's author and illustrator, a former medical illustrator, and a former art director for the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Born in 1943 in Abilene, Texas, she was educated at Trinity University (in San Antonio, TX) and at Johns Hopkins University. She is perhaps best known for her many picture-book biographies, some of which were co-authored by her husband, Peter Vennema. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to Saving Sweetness and it’s a worthy sequel. I didn’t find it quite as funny and didn’t like it quite as much, mostly because I already knew the formula before I started reading, but it still has a great deal of charm and wit, and it is amusing and sweet and clever. I do think the first book should be read first, but this book also works fine as a standalone.

This book screams to be read aloud, with accent and all. The dialect is what contributes to its humor.

Even when expected, the various twists to the story are highly entertaining.

I liked that reading and learning to read played a part in the plot of this book.

I hope that there will be more “Sweetness” books.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these "sweetness" books.

[Lori Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be best read aloud by someone who can read it with the wittiness and fun southern accent in which it is written. The book could be used to not only discuss adoption, but also to show the importance of learning to read.

[Allison Stoltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Raising Sweetness
I had a really hard getting into this book. I started it and put it down and came back to it three times. Once I decided to actually finish the book I liked it for the most part. I like the happy ending. I like that Pa adopted the children when he found out they were being mistreated by Mrs. Sump the orphanage director.
From the beginning I thought this book was going to be about treats and sweet things. It really surprised me when I discovered it was about raising 8 children, the youngest and tiniest being a little girl named Sweetness. It was amazing to me the simplicity of this book yet it is very complex. A single unmarried father, raising 8 children who is illiterate and appears to be jobless as well but very caring and loving towards all 8 children.
My basic overall impression was not a good one but after I read it and sat and thought about the book I changed my thoughts about the book. I don’t like the illustrations in this book, because they seem dark and dreary not bright and happy. However, the illustrations do seem to depict a time back in the south when few people read or wrote or attended school.

[Alexis Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raising sweetness was a cute and sweet book, it did however have a lot of worlds in it for a child's book but it was nice and had a meaning to it. It was about a man who had adopted 8 children. he did everything for those kids all by himself and the number one question was, " why he wasn't married?" come to find out he did have a true love that he once proposed to, however she needed time to think. Leave it to the kids though to return a favor to there dad and bring his love back.
This book was cute and sweet and somewhat colorful. i wish it had a little more of warm colors to make it feel more brighter but it was good. I think if it had fewer words and more pictures it would be amazing. but i love the kindness it shows and how not only is the dad looking out for his kids, but his kids are looking out for him.

[Hayden Hanshew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was about a man trying to learn to cook, as the front cover is him cooking and smoke going up. I was pleasantly surprised that it was about a man who adopted 8 children and they all learned how to read because of a letter. It was interesting that the text was written like how a "southerner" would talk, and at first made it a little hard to read. But all in all, the book was fun to read, and I liked how the illustrations took up the whole page. Made it seem like I was there with them and watching the story unfold.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this story was extremely clever. The plot line was also very interesting. This is a story about a single dad raising a family. The family does not know how to read, but the daughter, Sweetness, has a teacher who is teacher hew how to read. The plot twist is that the teacher is their dad's first love. The language they used in this book really made it come alive. I also loved the pictures and the clever names of the characters. Overall I thought this book was an enjoyable read.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing adventures of Sweetness and her ever-loving Pa. In this tale, Sweetness attempts to get an edumacation so that she can read a mysterious missive, whilst the other orphans yearn for a Ma. It's probably not a spoiler to say that everyone's dreams come true.

[Mh Weyler]

Sweetness and the other orphans have to find a way to get some good cooking and housekeeping. Their adoptive sheriff "Pa" doesn't see a problem but is longin' for his long-lost love. The book is fun to read with all the Texas drawl. And things turn out all right in the end...

[Alexadra Talton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tale about little Ms. Sweetness is both heart-wrenching and heartwarming as we see 8 orphans who long for their Pa to find someone to love him as much as he loves them. This story teaches children about appreciation for the things they have and ultimately to love one another.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun and frolic from Sweetness and the Sheriff....

[Chinasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel I never knew my inner child needed. Literally cried.

“As long as I have a biscuit, they have half.”

😭😭😭

[Meridith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raising Sweetness is the witty and inspiring sequel to Saving Sweetness. The lovable sheriff is back after adopting eight precious orphans and is ready to perform his fatherly duties. The sheriff's bizarre meals and unconventional housekeeping have the children asking “have you ever thought about getting married Pa?” As the question keeps arising throughout the story a mysterious letter arrives, but no one can read it, including the sheriff. Sweetness, the teeniest of the orphans and the heroine of the story, is determined to read the letter because she knows it must hold some great destiny for her family. Everyday she peers through the school house windows and returns home with a new lesson for the sheriff. Sweetness' determination soon pays off as she gloriously decodes the letter and immediately writes back. No more than a week later does the sheriff's long lost love, Miss Lucy, show up. Of course the sheriff and Miss Lucy get married. Thanks to Sweetness and her determination to read the children have a new mother, but more importantly no more pickle and banana pies, and as luck would have it Miss Lucy is also a teacher, which means all the young 'uns will soon learn how to read!

Raising Sweetness is a delightful story that young children will absolutely love. It is through the charming Texas drawl, intentional grammatical errors and humorous figurative language that the author catches the reader giggling throughout the story. You cannot help but get into character while reading it aloud! Reading this one independently may be a challenge for most students because of the all the Texas twang. The illustrations are just as lovely as the language. The sweet pencil drawings and multimedia collages add great depth to the story.

The book also sends a powerful message about the importance of being literate and the advantages it can bring to one's life. Little Sweetness' determination to read is inspiring and shows the reader that while learning to read can be quite challenging the rewards are infinite. This book is a fabulous way to show children how reading can open the doors of opportunity and possibility!

[Shannon Connors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Stanley writes a charming story, completely in a Southern dialect, with odd, lovable characters and accompanied by the drawings of G. Brian Karas.

The story is set in a small Southern town called Possum Trot. The town's sheriff, known as "Pa," previously adopted eight orphans from an orphanage run by a strict woman fond of cleaning with toothbrushes. Pa is odd yet loving, cooking peculiar meals for his kids, such as tuna-fish soup and pickle and banana pie. The children continually ask if Pa ever wanted to get married. Pa confesses that his "darlin'" broke his heart and he never loved anyone after that.

Soon, a mysterious piece of paper arrives. Though none of the characters can read, the smallest child, Sweetness, recognizes it as a letter (as she had some previous schooling). She wants to go to school, but the orphanage owner is the current substitute teacher. Instead, she settles for learning through the windows of the school. Pretty soon all the children are caught up in learning one letter after another as a confused Pa goes about his daily chores. When Sweetness decodes and secretly replies to the letter, a delightful surprise arrives that will change all of their lives forever.

Though "Raising Sweetness" is the sequel to "Saving Sweetness," it can easily stand alone. I did not read "Saving Sweetness" but could easily understand the back story behind this book, as it is presented briefly in the beginning. The language in the book, written completely in a Southern dialect, could prove difficult for some children to read on their own. However, it provides a large dose of humor to adults (and any child able to understand the dialect). Some of the expressions and figurative language used may also need explanation but provide teaching opportunities. Karas' illustrations fit well with the story and aid in comprehension. For example, characters' facial expressions mirror their words and any flash back moments are illustrated in black and white.

I think this book is best as a read aloud. If children can understand the dialect and expressions used, it will be a great, funny addition to their book collections.

[Cindy Sa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raising Sweetness
On the first page of the story, the designing of the introduction is very cute. There are some clothes and the paper what have some words on it. Although it is very long and the words are too tiny, but I read all of them. It just said something about the published about this book.
This is a sequel book for the Saving Sweetness. In this book, there was a gentleman who adopted seven children. He worries about what to rustle up for dinner everyday. He brought up all these seven children by himself. He played the role of mother and father. One day, a mysterious letter came into their life. The children thought may be this letter would change their life. But nobody could read about it. The little Sweetness said she would go to school and learn how to read it. Then they could read about this letter. After the little Sweetness went to school, she got the letter about As, Bs, 1s and 2s every day. After some times, she got twenty-six letters. And she decided to write one letter and took it with her to town. At this period of time, children often asked their papa did he think about get in married with someone. About a week later, the gentleman most love woman--Lucy appeared in his life again and they decided to marry with each other and have a happiness days. But why she suddenly came back? Of course, the little Sweetness helped her papa a lot about all of this surprise. Because the little Sweetness applied for the mysterious letter for her papa. Miss Lucy always waited for his answer, so she sent a letter for him. This book is a happiness ending, although they were not very good at cooking. But their life was very tasty for them.
From this story, I know the love is always behind us. We should not to chasing it run. We just need to walk straight ahead and the love will always go with us. Love is a waiting process. If you could not wait for it patiently, you would not cherish it like your treasured life.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raising Sweetness, by Diane Stanley. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1999) Contemporary Picture Book

Summary – Peanut butter spaghetti? Using butter to clean windows? In this sequel to Saving Sweetness, a little orphan sets out to save she and the other seven orphans from the well-meaning attempts at cleaning and cooking from the sheriff that adopted them. It is imperative that she find a wife for Pa before they all starve to death. This is a cute, hilarious story about a not-so traditional family.

Critique – Use of figurative language
(B). Although we use figurative language all the time, this is one concept that seems to give students trouble. English teachers are always on the lookout for ways to simplify and explain the different types. Raising Sweetness is chock-full of idioms and similes. What better way to learn than through this humorous story.

(C). Idioms such as”knocked me over with a feather” (p.17 and )“tickled pink” (p.23) abound, as well as nonsense similes such as “meaner than a skittleful of rattlesnakes.”(p.7); “cute as kitten pajamas”(p.3), and “sharp as a pocketful of toothpicks” (p.21). These phrases are sure to delight readers of all ages.



Curriculum Connection – This book is an English teacher’s dream! It is a quick, painless way to teach figurative language. Once the class has read the story and determined what idioms and similes are used, students could go home and interview parents to see what ones they know and use. Students could share their findings with the class, and they could all interpret as a group the meanings of each one. Similes are also great for any subject area to make connections. Science classes could make study sheets before a test using similes to improve comprehension. For example: My shovel is as hard as an igneous rock!

[Melanie Abril · Rating 4 out of 5]

This good-humored sequel to Saving Sweetness is told from the point of view of a kind-hearted sheriff, the new parent to six little orphans. Although he is the loving and caring “Pa”, he is a bit eccentric. His idea of a sweet treat is a pickle and banana pie and all the children ask is if he ever thinks about getting married.

One day a letter arrives at the family’s home in the town of Possum Trot. Only they do not have any idea as to what it is, until the littlest of the bunch, Sweetness, explains that it is a letter and that all of the letters on the page spell out a message. Sweetness then goes back to school, for the first time since before she went to the orphanage, to learn how to read so that they can all find out what the letter says.

Everyday, Sweetness comes home and teaches her family new letters and continues to study the letter until she can finally read the message and insists on writing back. A few days later the writer of the letter makes an appearance for an unforgettable ending to a charming tale.


Raising Sweetness is a children’s book that stands out from most. Narrated in a fun southern accent with original characters that you can’t help but love. The author, Diane Stanley, uses stream of consciousness for the sheriff, adding in some of his thoughts and flashbacks as he tells the story. It's interesting how the author uses a gray scale color scheme for the sheriff's flashbacks, adding more contrast in how the story is told. The illustrations also capture the essence of the storyline from page to page and match the tone of the piece with a very rustic and southern theme. The story also promotes a good message of determination, demonstrated through Sweetness's excitement and enthusiasm for learning how to read and write. Overall, Raising Sweetness is a great read.

[Brittany Baker]

To me, this book shows the importance in learning to read. If Sweetness had not snuck to school to learn to read, the family would have never understood what the letter said. Without reading the letter, the man would have never been reunited with the love of his life. In today's life, there is so much that one would miss out on if they could not read. Our society is driven by reading and writing. Another point that stands out to me in this book is the amount that the characters sacrifice. The man sacrifices himself to save the orphans, as he takes in all eight children to live with him to save them from Mrs. Sump. Also, Sweetness sacrifices herself as she sneaks around the school where Mrs. Sump is teaching in order to learn to read so that Pa and her siblings could learn to read as well. I think that both of these points are important to consider in life and in teaching. As an elementary teacher, you must be able to relay the importance of reading to your students. At times, you may have to give up part of your time in order to help others, but in the end it will all be worth it as it was for Sweetness and Pa.

[LesLee Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a tale of a foster cop who is raising orphans. He had a girlfriend who sent him a letter than he couldn't read. The child named "Sweetness" has a teacher who helps her learn to read. She is able to right the girlfriend a letter. The story ends with the girlfriend returning to say she missed the cop. They then get married and she helps raise the orphans and becomes the school's new teacher.
I have a student who is getting adopted this week and I love that one of the girls who was adopted helped be the hero in the story. This book is a little long for a first graders' attention span and I'm not sure if I like that the narrator uses "hick" language but it was a rather sweet book. I would recommend it to my higher readers who may have a connection with this book. For example, the child who is getting adopted would be able to connect and would appreciate a character with whom she could identify with.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say this book was hard to read aloud as I wasn't use to reading all the intentional grammatical errors in it. I wouldn't say this book is good for a beginner reading either as it's a little long for them. However, this book has a great storyline where at the end of the story, the "Pa" in the story meets his love again (who lived away originally) and marries her.

Throughout the story, "Pa" takes care of many orphans by himself. He also didn't know how to read, which also meant he couldn't read a letter that was sent to him from his "love". The orphans were curious of what the letter had said. One of the orphan wrote a letter to his love as best she could write and eventually, Pa's love got the letter, which caused her to come back and visit Pa.

Overall, it was good story.

[Destiny]

Raising sweetness is actually the sequel to saving sweetness so i just assumed it fit under the same category. Some of the pictures are full blleed and some of them are just half of the page. The text is taped onto the pictures adding a cilly three d effect. The humans and the food in the book look as though they were drawn with colored pencil. the colored pencil and tape effect give the book a feel of something someone just wiped up by hand and glued together. You can tell that the book is based in a southern area a long time ago. The way the characters speak and know not how to read and such indicate its a time period where many went without schooling. I assum the social issues in this book or the people not knowing how to read and the man having many children without a wife.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is a strange but endearing love story. A Sheriff decides to take in eight orphans who had lived a rough life. He is raising them alone but I'm not sure if any Sheriff today would actually do this. He has a broken heart and the children know this. They live in a small town where people don't go to school. The Sheriff nor the children can read. One day they decide they want to read a letter so they all begin to learn to read. One of the main characters is Sweetness a little girl. She writes a letter in words she learned to the Sheriff's old love Miss Lucy. She asked her to "Kum kwick". Miss Lucy shows up at their door. The Sheriff and Miss Lucy rekindle their love and get married.

[Aleasha Atoruk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was silly. I enjoyed the spelling errors, they made me laugh. You could tell the book was written in a southern dialect. It's a very sweet story.

I like how the illustrations were telling their own story sometimes- apart from the writing. Sweetness is clearly the brightest of the bunch, even smarter than her dad, because she does all the cooking and takes the lead in the book. It was a good book about family taking care of each other and always having each other's back, no matter the task. Like when she was writing by the window, and the dad (smart as he was) tried to clear the view for her with butter. It was a touching book.

Furthermore, I enjoyed the emphasis on the importance of reading. The author did good at portraying the impact reading can have in changing lives.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of bad grammar and word play make this a fun story for adults to read to kids. Pa adopts eight kids and does his best to raise them right. Lovers of Amelia Bedelia will like this far more advanced version of adults doing things wrong. Pa does plenty of things backwards and has great expressions.

The main plot point is that Pa and the orphans don't know how to read. Slowly but surely, they learn their A's and B's and 3's and 4's. Finally, Sweetness figures out how to read and solves Pa's biggest problem. A sweet and charming story, it will be a difficult read for most children.

[Jordan Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was perhaps the most entertaining, witty, and clever children's books I have read. I read this book without reading its prequel, and therefore, I was completely caught off-guard with the grammar and dialect. The "old South" accent makes the book tough NOT to read aloud and adds a very spunky sense of humor. While "Raising Sweetness" offers humorous and light-hearted illustrations,it also shows young readers just how important reading is in everyday life. Sweetness's accomplishments are inspiring, the storyline is very clever, and the book is sure to spark some smiles and chuckles from readers of all ages.

[Erin Stuhlsatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!

From "I was so distracted that I forgot Tommy's pants had a tear in them and didn't buy tape for three days running!" (approximately) to "I cleaned the windows for her. I didn't even use lard--I used real butter!", Pa is a hilariously incompetent housekeeper. Despite his HORRIBLE cooking (I'd make tuna stew, but that didn't go over so good last time) and lack of reading skills, his love for the eight orphans he adopted (probably in the last book, Saving Sweetness) shines through as they try to decipher a letter. "Wait, this is a letter? And all these things are letters?" In the end, Pa's heart is no longer broken and somebody competent will teach the kids to read.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable book about a man trying to raise eight little kids on his own. He struggles to get by, but he loves the children deeply and only wants what's best for them. One day they get a letter and run into a problem: they don't know how to read. This problem turns into a fun adventure for them learning how to read. This book has a fun dialect that makes reading it more interesting.
I think this is a great book for children because of just how fun it is to read. When a book is fun to read, it sticks into a child, and an adult's, brain and makes them comprehend the material better. This book shows that anyone can learn to read, whether you are 5 years old or 45 years old.

[Nomre · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Raising sweetness" by Diane Stanley is a book about a single, lovable, eccentric man who has eight adopted children. The story is based on one of the children who's name is sweetness. One day the man gets a letter in the mail but no one in the house knows how to read. Sweetness and her father try to learn to read so that they can read the letter. Although i felt the language and content could be somewhat confusing to children, I did enjoy reading it. It is eccentric, cute and funny and I really enjoyed the way the illustrations added humor to what you were reading.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read aloud to share if you like making different or silly voices when you share a story. That is the ONLY way to read and enjoy this silly book about a kind but backward retired sheriff who has adopted eight orphans. The children kindly but frequently ask their father "do you ever think about getting married." This question should be followed up with an elbow to the ribs with HINT HINT being whispered into this mans ear.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, but seemed really long for a picture book. I enjoyed reaidng it, but I think if I were to ever read it to students they'd at least have to be in 3rd grade or so. There is a LOT of writing on each page and I don't know if most kids could sit through it. It's a good tsory though for kids to learn about what exactly an orphan is, and good topic for discussing with your kids.