Module 6: A Bad Case of Stripes

A Bad Case of Stripes
by David Shannon

Book Summary:

Camilla Cream is about to start back to school after summer break, but she has a small problem: her skin has broken out in stripes! Camilla is extremely distressed by her strange appearance and her mother allows her to stay home. The doctor concludes that she is not contagious and should return to school the next day. Unfortunately, Camilla’s condition seems to be quite impressionable and as students call her names such as checkerboard and purple lollipop, her skins morphs to match. Specialists are called in and Camilla’s transformation continues resulting in her growing roots, berries, feathers, crystals, and even a tail – all multi-colored. It appears that the more that Camilla denies who she really is, and what she really loves (lima beans), the more she loses herself. When Camilla finally accepts that she is different than everyone else and is not embarrassed by her love for lima beans she is able to return to her normal appearance.

Shannon, D. (1998). A bad case of the stripes. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

My impressions:

I thought this was a great story about peer pressure and not being afraid to be different. The illustrations were beautiful, full of bright colors and intricate details and captured the emotions of the story in a delightful way.  I would use this story in an advisory lesson about diversity and not being afraid to be different, whether that means you like lima beans and everyone else hates them, or if you look differently than everyone else.

Professional review:

Camilla, who loves lima beans but won't eat them because it's not cool, finds that deferring to others isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, her desire to please and be popular causes her some spectacular problems: she suddenly breaks out in stripes, then stars, then turns "purple polka-dotty" at the behest of a delighted classmate. Her weird mutations, which stymie doctors and send the media into a frenzy, become more and more extreme until she finally blends into the walls of her room-her lips the red-blanketed mattress on her bed, her eyes the paintings on the wall. Will she never be herself again? Shannon's over-the-top art is sensational, an ingenious combination of the concrete and the fantastic that delivers more than enough punch to make up for the somewhat heavy hand behind the story, and as usual, his wonderfully stereotypic characters are unforgettable. The pictures are probably enough to attract young browsers (Camilla in brilliant stripped glory graces the jacket), and the book's irony and wealth of detail may even interest readers in higher grades. Try this for leading into a discussion on being different.

Zvirin, S. (1998, January 1). [Review of the book A bad case of stripes, by D. Shannon]. Booklist, 94(9), 
       825. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com

Library Uses:

This book is an excellent choice for story time with younger students. The illustrations are colorful and express the emotions of Camilla in an honest way that brings the pages of the story to life. After reading the story I would discuss with students the importance of accepting themselves for who they are, even if they are different from their peers. I would encourage students to share ways in which they are different from their peers and how they can be proud of their differences.

As a supplemental fun activity after the story and discussion, students could get their faces painted, to express that it’s ok to be different, just like Camilla. They could get stripes, checkerboard patterns, whatever they wish – as long as no two students have their faces painted the same way!