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Slippers at Home
Slippers lives in his own little house inside a bigger house. In his big house, Slippers has four people. Baby Edward walks around on all fours, just like Slippers. Laura lives in a place way up the stairs. Mommy puts food into Slippers' round bowl to feed his round tummy. Daddy takes Slippers on long walks and always finds the way home. Every night Slippers falls asleep happy because he has four people of his very own, and he loves every one of them. Written from a puppy's point of view and illustrated with cheerful pictures, this story is simple enough to engage toddlers and funny enough to amuse beginning readers.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
50 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Clements
191 books2,197 followersI was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books and becoming a writer. I don't know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 12, 2019
4.5/5 for the story
10/5 for Slippers, who is the cutest little round-tummied angel and a Very Good Boy
10/5 for Slippers, who is the cutest little round-tummied angel and a Very Good Boy
October 18, 2017
I thought this book had a good storyline for beginning readers to follow. It was made up of short sentences and easy-to-read vocabulary. Overall, the plot of the story was humorous and fun to follow until the end.
Topics: first day of school, pets, friends, classes, mystery, hiding, riding the bus, family life, siblings.
Topics: first day of school, pets, friends, classes, mystery, hiding, riding the bus, family life, siblings.
February 25, 2018
Slippers, named for his four brown paws, lives in a home where he has his own little house inside the bigger house. He is about the same size as Edward the baby and does things the big sister Laura does not like such as sleeping on her sweater which is on the floor by her bed. This heartwarming portrait of a happy family will send toddlers and preschoolers to bed feeling loved and secure.
May 26, 2023
This is so adorable!
July 18, 2013
This book is a little lengthy for the younger audience that it appears to be targeted toward. However, it's still a great book that you can read at bedtime. The author uses character in this book. The puppy, slippers is definitely personified in this book. I can really see the character in Slippers by how he refers to the humans in this book. I f I were the author I would use more voice in the book because it almost seemed like a computer wrote this book the way it would say a dad, a mom, an Edward instead of dad, mom, Edward. But, I can see where the author was going with that that style of characterization. The strategy that I would take from this book would be that I need to be purposeful in how I use the characters in my writing.
October 15, 2014
Clements, A., & Bynum, J. (2008). Slippers at School. New York: Puffin.
Picture Book Soak
This is a cute book about a dog named “Slippers” who sneaks into the backpack of his owner, a little girl, and goes to school with her. He makes his way around the school without being caught until he returns to her backpack and then home with the little girl without her knowledge. This is a funny story with adorable illustrations and children would enjoy reading the book however I would not pair it with any specific lessons or to support content. I would, however, include the book in my classroom library and allow students to select the book for individual literature time.
Picture Book Soak
This is a cute book about a dog named “Slippers” who sneaks into the backpack of his owner, a little girl, and goes to school with her. He makes his way around the school without being caught until he returns to her backpack and then home with the little girl without her knowledge. This is a funny story with adorable illustrations and children would enjoy reading the book however I would not pair it with any specific lessons or to support content. I would, however, include the book in my classroom library and allow students to select the book for individual literature time.
December 2, 2012
Slippers is the family puppy. He lives in a little house inside of a bigger house. He lives with four people, Edward, Laura, Mommy and Daddy. Edward is little like Slipper, a baby. Laura is the older sibling, they like to play together. Mommy carries Edward and Slipper around the house. Daddy and Slipper like to go on walks. The book was average and geared for toddler audience.
October 26, 2007
The slippers series are just really great picture books. The stories are great and the pictures are so cute. The stories are such that they actually keep the attention of the kids that it is being read to.
July 14, 2008
Would have been 5 stars but I couldn't stop wondering "How does that kid not feel a dog in her backpack?" I mean, wouldn't it be pretty heavy if you went from carrying a ruler to carrying a whole dog?
November 11, 2011
This is a great book to talk about characterization. I would give the students a paper with four sections. In the four sections, we as a class would talk about each of the four characters in the book. On the back, I would talk about the characterization of Slippers.
May 10, 2012
Good book to reassure babies and toddlers of their place in, and love within, their family. Plot revolves around the puppy as an integral part of this family. Lengthy book for this age bracket, but definitely for the younger set.
For ages 18 months to 5 years.
For ages 18 months to 5 years.
July 29, 2014
A book about a puppy that lives with a family, and what child doesn't love a puppy. Good bedtime, or anytime, read for young children. Author and illustrator bring forth the family's and Slippers' daily interactions very well.
May 27, 2015
4.25 STARS This books makes me all warm and squishy inside...it a really good way. Just a nice book about a family..told from the perspective of the dog! It almost makes me want to have a dog...well...Only if I can have one like Slippers!
July 7, 2008
this was really cute!
August 1, 2008
Cute story about a dog going to school. It does go through some of the different places in the school. Wasn't what I was expecting through.
July 2, 2009
slippers is a dog who wants to go to school with his owner laura. he hides in her backpack and goes to school. Others see him but not Laura. he has quite an adventure.
September 25, 2013
Cute story of a dog who sneaks into his owner's backpack and explores her school on the first day.
December 4, 2014
Super cute!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews