A Bad Case of Stripes written by David Shannon is a story about a girl named Camilla Cream, who tries very hard to fit with her peers. Her peers do not like lima beans and therefore she stops eating them.
One day Camilla wakes up with stripes. Her mother calls the doctor and the doctor says she is ok go to school with these stripes. When she arrives at school, students bully her, laugh and make fun of her calling her names, like "Camilla Crayon" and Night of the living lollipop." She is the laughing stock of her school. The principal has to send her home because she is "too much of a distraction."
She is seen by different doctors, specialists, and experts but no one knows what is wrong with her, "they didn't have a clue, much less a cure." Her condition continues to worsen. Until one day, an old, kind woman appears and gives her a cure for her condition. She gives her lime beans, as her medicine. Camilla is a little hesitant on eating them, claiming she doesn't like them (because of her peers.)
In the end, she eats the lima beans and states, "the truth is I really like lima beans." Her bad case of stripes disappear. At school, she continues to eat lima beans once more, no matter if the kids at her school call her "weird." And that is the last case of stripes for Camilla Cream.
This is one of my favorite children story books because it teaches kids to be who they truly are no matter what others think of them. This book also addresses bullying and staying true to yourself, despite of what others think of you and want you to be. This book can be used in many different ways in the classroom and can be an amazing resource for teachers and in teaching lessons that deal with bullying. I highly recommend it!
I love this book! I have read it many times with young children and my own kids and every child who has heard it, wants to have it read to them again, and again!
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