Scatterbrain Sam

by Ellen Jackson

Will capture your heart and tickle your funny bone. Our kind-hearted hero wears an alarm clock instead of a watch and eats his soup with a pitchfork. Is it any wonder his nickname is Scatterbrain Sam? Finally fed up with his neighbors' whispering and odd looks, Sam enlists the mysterious Widder Woman and his gregarious friend Maizie Mae to help him fix his scattered brains. Imaginative illustrations and a colorful cast of animals and townspeople create an unforgettable setting for this rollicking folktale adaptation.
About the
A former kindergarten teacher, Ellen Jackson is now the award-winning author of over thirty-five books for children, including Turn of the Century and Cinder Edna (Lothrop). She lives in Santa Barbara, California.
About the
Matt Faulkner graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and has done work for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal , and Forbes Magazine . He lives in Birmingham, Michigan, and teaches art at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very voicey read with some genius illustrations. Sam is a bit of a scatterbrain, so the widow on the hill is helping him craft a "glue stew" that will help him keep his thoughts together. He's doesn't want to throw some of the ingredients in the stew, though (like his cat, or the girl he has a crush on!). The solution ends up getting Sam what he needed but not what he expected. A fun story that feels like it needs to be read in a Southern dialect.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam just cannot get it together and organize his brain. So, he asks the "widder woman" in town to help out. She makes him Glue Stew that should help, but the stew needs items that Sam loves (bird, cat, etc.) to make it work. When Sam balks at killing his friends, the "widder woman" gives him riddles to solve instead. Luckily, Sam;s object of affection, a very smart young woman named Maizie Mae, helps him work through the problems.

Excellent and entertaining illustrations.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the pictures in this book! This is a cute and funny story of a backwards man who comes to realize he is in love with a girl. It would be neat to figure out the riddles in this book as a class. There are really neat ties to historical events or people in some of the illustrations.

[Tya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! And I think Maizie May may have been in cahoots with the widder woman in order to get her man. And I love that Sam wears a random Flava Flav clock.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story. Wonderfully illustrated. Slightly predictable, but I think small children would find that fun. I also liked the strong female presence.

[Mirka Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and funny. The illustrations add to the charm.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical children's book… a bit of a challenge for a kiddo to read themselves with the slang