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Serendipity
Sassafras
A sassy little elephant, who irritates others by imitating everything they say, hears in an echo how unkind she sounds.
32 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 3, 2017
This is definitely one book that would have me sticking out my tongue and rolling my eyes when I was a kid if I had read it for I loved to mock my siblings when I was feeling certainly mischievous. But I can honestly say I would never have mocked my teachers like this little elephant did in the story while she did need a good spanking.
The thing that annoyed me is I thought it was a great idea to use the cliff and the echo coming from it to give little Sassy a taste of her own medicine. But as an afterthought the author turned around and made it on a mouse on the cliff, which in my own sense defeated the lesson since now you have someone else mocking even if it isn't spitefully done so. Kind of a double standard....
The thing that annoyed me is I thought it was a great idea to use the cliff and the echo coming from it to give little Sassy a taste of her own medicine. But as an afterthought the author turned around and made it on a mouse on the cliff, which in my own sense defeated the lesson since now you have someone else mocking even if it isn't spitefully done so. Kind of a double standard....
February 9, 2025
Sassafras Tee, a young elephant, has an annoying habit: she always has to have the last word. If her mother says, “Hurry! You’ll be late for school,” Sassafras sarcastically replies, “Late for school . . . late for school.” Her habit of always repeating what is said so that she has the last word has earned her a nickname: Sassy.
Sassafras will copy everyone, even her teacher. This gets her sent home with a letter for her mother. Sassafras has never seen her mother so angry. She sends Sassafras to bundle grass in the meadow.
Will Sassafras ever stop repeating what others say?
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This delightful story brings its young readers a message: Kindness is always appreciated more than sarcasm.
The youngest readers, ages two through six, are the target audience for this Serendipity Book. Beautiful, full-color, full-page illustrations accompany this sweet tale in which the young elephant . . . and the child . . . learns an important lesson.
Highly recommended.
Sassafras will copy everyone, even her teacher. This gets her sent home with a letter for her mother. Sassafras has never seen her mother so angry. She sends Sassafras to bundle grass in the meadow.
Will Sassafras ever stop repeating what others say?
=========
This delightful story brings its young readers a message: Kindness is always appreciated more than sarcasm.
The youngest readers, ages two through six, are the target audience for this Serendipity Book. Beautiful, full-color, full-page illustrations accompany this sweet tale in which the young elephant . . . and the child . . . learns an important lesson.
Highly recommended.
October 25, 2018
A sassy little elephant learns her lesson in this cute book. Sassafras has to get the last word in any conversation, sassing back to her mother and teacher until she in hot water. What will finally teacher her her lesson? A good book to read to a little one who enjoys playing the copy-cat game or perhaps has gotten a little too sassy themselves.
One reason to love these Serendipity books is the great illustrations. The last illustration in Sassafras is so cute I almost want to tear it out and put it in a frame.
One reason to love these Serendipity books is the great illustrations. The last illustration in Sassafras is so cute I almost want to tear it out and put it in a frame.
March 25, 2018
Sassafras My note on this book says: Reminds me of the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle books but slightly less absurd. So take that as you will.
December 31, 2018
A cute story about an elephant with a bad habit...
October 17, 2016
I was so surprised and happy to find Mr Cosgrove's books again! I loved these as a little girl. I would always seek them out from our school library (and matter of fact our librarian had to replace a few of the books because they had gotten so worn out after the seven years of elementary (Kg through 6th grade I would check them out) Now I'm finding them for my adult special needs son and my granddaughter and falling in love with them all over again!
In this one Sassafras is a baby elephant, and she repeats in a very sassy way everything adults say to her. She says it in a low way but the adults still hear it. So much that everyone has called her Sassy. It's gotten to where no one likes to be around her anymore because of her attitude. After her mother tells her to go off by herself and think about why shes in trouble she comes to a canyon and after she does think about things and why she always have to have the last word she learns the moral of the story. all of Mr Cosgrove's stories all have a moral at the end of the story and this one's moral was " Kindness is always appreciated more than sarcasm."
In this one Sassafras is a baby elephant, and she repeats in a very sassy way everything adults say to her. She says it in a low way but the adults still hear it. So much that everyone has called her Sassy. It's gotten to where no one likes to be around her anymore because of her attitude. After her mother tells her to go off by herself and think about why shes in trouble she comes to a canyon and after she does think about things and why she always have to have the last word she learns the moral of the story. all of Mr Cosgrove's stories all have a moral at the end of the story and this one's moral was " Kindness is always appreciated more than sarcasm."
November 19, 2019
Ahhh I’m still not sure on this one! Overall I think the art is kind of lacking: it’s mostly close up elephant portraits, so not a lot of beauty or variety to it, which is typically one of my favorite parts of Serendipity books. And Sassy is kind of annoying, but the older elephants don’t have that much personality to them as a balance.
My favorite part is right at the end: the art of Sassy sitting at the canyon edge is lovely, and I always chuckle at the reveal that it wasn’t actually a canyon echo...it was a tiny little mouse teaching her a lesson.
I think I can let go of this book and just remember that last bit.
My favorite part is right at the end: the art of Sassy sitting at the canyon edge is lovely, and I always chuckle at the reveal that it wasn’t actually a canyon echo...it was a tiny little mouse teaching her a lesson.
I think I can let go of this book and just remember that last bit.
June 30, 2011
Stephen Cosgrove is the author of more than 350 children's books. His most-recognizable titles are those in the Serendipity series; including Leo the Lop, Flutterby, and Sassafras. The author first began writing the books about animals in the early 1970s. He was unhappy with the books he found for sale for children and decided to write his own.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Sassafras by Stephen Cosgrove, a review - San Francisco fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/fiction-in-sa...
April 28, 2011
All children, especially at a young age, repeat the things they hear others saying however this book is about Sassafras who is repeating eveyone just to be mean and get on their nerves. This is a good book to teach about kindness and manners.
August 9, 2011
The Serendipity books always have great lessons in them, but this is not particularly one of my favorites.
October 18, 2012
The only thing I can think about, revisiting this wonderful book, is that clearly I did not take the lesson to heart. LoL.
August 25, 2014
Balajar dari Sassafras. Kalau kau mengatakan sesuatu yang baik, gema yang kembali kepadamu akan terdengar baik.
Dan, kebaikan selalu lebih dihargai daripada cemoohan kasar.
Dan, kebaikan selalu lebih dihargai daripada cemoohan kasar.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews