A Bad Case of Stripes

Author/Illustrator: David Shannon

Genre: Fantasy

Grade Level: PreK-3

This story starts out with a girl named Camilla Cream and how she doesn't like lima beans just because the other kids in school don't like them and made fun of her. She cares about what everyone thinks about her a little too much. Camilla eventually breaks out in colorful stripes. The doctors can't seem to find anything wrong with her so her mother still makes her go to the first day of school. Her classmates soon discover that whenever they yell out a color or design, she will turn into that color or design. She soon finds out that the only cure for this is for her to eat lima beans, and when she does she turns back into old Camilla. 

This book can be used in the classroom to talk about the effects of peer pressure. It can help students to be themselves and to not do things according to what others want. It also can be used as an anti-bullying tool and teaching kids to stand up for themselves and to not be afraid to be who they are no matter what. 

The illustrations in this book are amazing! They are bright and colorful and show the emotions perfectly. We know exactly what the character is feeling based on the illustrations.