What do you think?
Rate this book
The Critter Club #6
Ellie's Lovely Idea
It’s Valentine’s Day, and The Critter Club is singing telegrams for charity—but will Ellie receive some of the love she is giving?
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and to raise money for a charity called Puppy Love, Ellie suggests that she and The Critter Club girls sell singing telegrams. The girls have a lot of fun writing and performing the songs, but all the holiday spirit makes Ellie wish someone would send her a singing telegram! Will Ellie get her wish?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Critter Club chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and to raise money for a charity called Puppy Love, Ellie suggests that she and The Critter Club girls sell singing telegrams. The girls have a lot of fun writing and performing the songs, but all the holiday spirit makes Ellie wish someone would send her a singing telegram! Will Ellie get her wish?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Critter Club chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
128 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 1, 2018
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and everything.
Guys, this is so stinking cute. The cover has tiny sparkly accents. It is a perfect Valentine's Day book. These books are aimed at ages 5-7 according to the back, and if you prefer to talk about non-romantic forms of love for that age, this is perfect. The telegrams in the book are give to friends, teachers, and grandparents, and there's no mention of romance at all.
This book is a really great one for that just starting chapter books age. The language is simple but incredibly engaging and lively and never dull. Almost all of the pages have pictures, and that does really appeal to many in that audience. The animal angle, of course, is often very popular with young audiences, and I think this series will definitely appeal to the girls I'll be giving it to.
Speaking of girls, I absolutely adore the ones in this book. They started an animal shelter, man.You guys know how I am about girl gangs doing things books, and these girls do things. But at the same time, the things they do are very realistic. They never go anywhere alone, they raise around 100 dollars for the animal shelter, and they talk about how the telegramming and all the planning they have to do wears them out, and they get tired from all the work.
You don't get as much personality from each girl since they are pretty short, but I'm okay with just focusing on one at a time and letting the friendship shine. There's no real big conflict in this book, which I kind of love. The only thing I would have liked would be for out of the four girls, there be more than one girl who wasn't white. That said, Ellie is pretty awesome. I think it's wonderful that the illustrations show Ellie's beautiful dark brown skin and natural hair. That's so important for little girls to see. She's confident, she's talented, she's a leader, and she's wonderful.
This only took me about fifteen minutes to read, but I really enjoyed it. And I didn't just enjoy this in a "kids will like this" way, but in a "this is so sweet and wonderful" way. It's fun to read something that is so good-natured. There's no toilet humour, there's nothing I worry about giving to kids, but the story is still really, really fun, and I would totally read more of them.
Guys, this is so stinking cute. The cover has tiny sparkly accents. It is a perfect Valentine's Day book. These books are aimed at ages 5-7 according to the back, and if you prefer to talk about non-romantic forms of love for that age, this is perfect. The telegrams in the book are give to friends, teachers, and grandparents, and there's no mention of romance at all.
This book is a really great one for that just starting chapter books age. The language is simple but incredibly engaging and lively and never dull. Almost all of the pages have pictures, and that does really appeal to many in that audience. The animal angle, of course, is often very popular with young audiences, and I think this series will definitely appeal to the girls I'll be giving it to.
Speaking of girls, I absolutely adore the ones in this book. They started an animal shelter, man.You guys know how I am about girl gangs doing things books, and these girls do things. But at the same time, the things they do are very realistic. They never go anywhere alone, they raise around 100 dollars for the animal shelter, and they talk about how the telegramming and all the planning they have to do wears them out, and they get tired from all the work.
You don't get as much personality from each girl since they are pretty short, but I'm okay with just focusing on one at a time and letting the friendship shine. There's no real big conflict in this book, which I kind of love. The only thing I would have liked would be for out of the four girls, there be more than one girl who wasn't white. That said, Ellie is pretty awesome. I think it's wonderful that the illustrations show Ellie's beautiful dark brown skin and natural hair. That's so important for little girls to see. She's confident, she's talented, she's a leader, and she's wonderful.
This only took me about fifteen minutes to read, but I really enjoyed it. And I didn't just enjoy this in a "kids will like this" way, but in a "this is so sweet and wonderful" way. It's fun to read something that is so good-natured. There's no toilet humour, there's nothing I worry about giving to kids, but the story is still really, really fun, and I would totally read more of them.
November 7, 2021
Very good book for Valentine’s Day.
August 26, 2023
This is a valentine's day book where the girls work together to deliver singing telegrams. They also try to help a sick bird. Ellie really wants her own telegram and her friends pull through. Cute!
August 25, 2025
Ellie thinks of an idea to raise money for Puppy Love. The idea is to do singing telegrams. Ellie suspects that her friends are going to do a telegram for her. But then she is so disappointed because she thinks they won't. but then they do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 13, 2016Palatable, but very saccharine. It's definitely a stronger offering than Heidi Heckelbeck.
December 5, 2016
Once again my daughter gave this series 5 stars.
February 1, 2020
I’m in junior kindergarten and I love when my mom reads me these Critter Club chapter books at night. This one was about Valentine’s Day - which I love (because I’m five and I love all holidays- especially ones where you get candy).
In #6, Ellie comes up with a great idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day and raise money for a puppy charity: delivering singing telegrams. At first, her friends are nervous and aren’t sure that they’re as good of performers as Ellie, but they soon find out it’s fun! They deliver short messages to people in the tune of songs like “Row, row, row your boat” and “Take me out to the ballgame.”
This book seemed shorter than others, but it was still really cute.
In #6, Ellie comes up with a great idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day and raise money for a puppy charity: delivering singing telegrams. At first, her friends are nervous and aren’t sure that they’re as good of performers as Ellie, but they soon find out it’s fun! They deliver short messages to people in the tune of songs like “Row, row, row your boat” and “Take me out to the ballgame.”
This book seemed shorter than others, but it was still really cute.
January 7, 2020
3.5 - I read this with my eight-year-old daughter (though the book specifies it's for ages 5-7) because she's a big fan of the Critter Club series. It's a great series for young animal lovers and I liked how this book incorporated Valentine's Day. Ellie and her friends come up with a fund raising idea for Puppy Love, an organization in their town that provides funds for low income families who adopt puppies. Together, they perform singing telegrams and help a neighbor in need.
October 8, 2021
Appropriate for: all ages!
My 4 year old daughter loves Critter Club and so do I. The issue Ellie went through in this book went over her head, but I like that it has a message of friendship. I wish it focused more on critters, but at least they helped some puppies.
My 4 year old daughter loves Critter Club and so do I. The issue Ellie went through in this book went over her head, but I like that it has a message of friendship. I wish it focused more on critters, but at least they helped some puppies.
August 4, 2022
Cute story about the Critter Club's idea to raise money for the Puppy Love charity. Ellie is so sweet in her joy at helping deliver singing telegrams, but also in her hope that her friends will surprise her with one of her own. Will she get her wish, or will she be disappointed on Valentine's Day?
May 30, 2019
It was a very amazing Valentine's book. I love the critter club books. They're my favorite.
August 5, 2020
Naww ett sjungande telegram och de var så bra skrivna också! Rim och fling! Loving the idea.
July 28, 2022
Super adorable, clever and kind characters!
June 27, 2025
Good for early elementary readers ready for chapter books.
February 20, 2015
Simply splendid and impossible to resist. The sparkle, the hearts on the cover and the wonderful idea of four girls getting together to raise money by performing signing telegrams during the Valentine's Day week. I was so happy to have brought it home and, although it is for a much younger reader, my eleven-year old daughter pronounced it to be 'cute'.
In short paragraphs and with lovely pictures throughout Ellie and her friends create a great idea, work together to make it happen, overcome their own worries and raise money for one of their favourite local charities. This is the kind of book you wish you could read over and over with your kids or give to a younger reader who wants to read a 'real' book and will feel proud of their success when they've finished it. The story and characters are very true to life with disappointments and misunderstandings between friends but the vocabulary isn't overwhelming.
We wish we had someone to give these wonderful books to as a gift because they are just perfect.
In short paragraphs and with lovely pictures throughout Ellie and her friends create a great idea, work together to make it happen, overcome their own worries and raise money for one of their favourite local charities. This is the kind of book you wish you could read over and over with your kids or give to a younger reader who wants to read a 'real' book and will feel proud of their success when they've finished it. The story and characters are very true to life with disappointments and misunderstandings between friends but the vocabulary isn't overwhelming.
We wish we had someone to give these wonderful books to as a gift because they are just perfect.
December 30, 2013
adv 2nd-3rd gr.
This is part of the Critter Club series. Second graders create a club to take care of lost / sick animals. this is volume 6 and I thought I would give it a try. I can see why it would apply to that age, as it is about clubs, and doing important things, and having friends. It is almost too sweet. I think Cobblestreet Cousins (Rylant?) might be less saccharine, though it has been a long time since I read it. Great illustrations throughout and a nice multicultural cast with intergenerational connection. Definitely for the beginning chapter book set, particularly second-graders, since third-graders might think this is about babies :)
This is part of the Critter Club series. Second graders create a club to take care of lost / sick animals. this is volume 6 and I thought I would give it a try. I can see why it would apply to that age, as it is about clubs, and doing important things, and having friends. It is almost too sweet. I think Cobblestreet Cousins (Rylant?) might be less saccharine, though it has been a long time since I read it. Great illustrations throughout and a nice multicultural cast with intergenerational connection. Definitely for the beginning chapter book set, particularly second-graders, since third-graders might think this is about babies :)
July 17, 2016
Another cute Critter Club book.
My daughter loved the valentine's day theme of the book. She also loved Ellie's idea in the book and then how despite them not having any animals to help, they still ended up helping out a bird and it's owner.
My daughter loved the valentine's day theme of the book. She also loved Ellie's idea in the book and then how despite them not having any animals to help, they still ended up helping out a bird and it's owner.
January 16, 2016
good valentine's day book for first and second graders
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews