By Susan Stevens Crummel
Illustrated by Janet Stevens
Harcourt, 2011
$16.99, ages 4-8, 56 pages
A high-strung pen incites a drawer full of school supplies to help her grade papers, in this hilarious twist on two beloved fables.
The award-winning Stevens sisters play with themes from Chicken Little (the folly of hysteria) and The Little Red Hen (the importance of hard work) to suggest a funny new lesson:
Spreading unfound fear and panic can help get a job done -- especially if you're a paranoid pen in a storybook and you're working with a gullible set of school supplies.
One day after class, a red correction pen in glasses and a pointy red cap proclaims in Chicken Little fashion that a catastrophe will occur -- if papers aren't corrected before students return the next day.
However, like Little Red Hen, she can't find anyone to help her.
