From Author Rebecca Grabill
This Joyful Mess
Old Yeller For Girls: Because of Winn-Dixie
It’s like Old Yeller for girls. DiCamillo writes this story in the adorable 10-year-old voice of India Opal Buloni, the preacher’s kid whose mother ran off when she was three. The story opens with a lonely Opal rescuing a stray dog, who within a day...
A Common Question: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret
A delightful coming of age story involving controversial topics such as bras, menstruation, and religion.
Margaret Ann Simon’s mother is Christian, her father a secular Jew. Her grandmother, quite an influence in her life, is a devout Jew and hopes to see Margaret become...
A Rare Van Allsburg: The Widow’s Broom
A clever and harrowing tale with a surprise ending. Van Allsburg confronts ignorance in an Aesop’s Fables sort of way. Yet he has a non-traditional twist in that the witch’s broom, normally seen as evil, ends up being good. Illustrations are what one...
Bronzeville Boys and Girls: Poetry and Art
Poems that celebrate childhood.
Brooks’ highly regional poems have universal appeal, transcending race and place. Who hasn’t felt as Rudolph has in, “Rudolph is Tired of the City”? And nearly every child has had...
Three Little Piggies, Take Two (The True Story)
Twisting and turning a traditional story to make something new. Scieszka takes the well-known 3 Little Pigs story and tells it from the wolf’s point of view. Many of the details remain the same, yet the story has new...
That's one Hard Fox! A Stone Fox!
Immediate tension and simple language make a fast, easy read.
The plot always moves forward but generally without much elegance or plausibility. Many questions...
Color My World - Purple! Harold and the Purple Crayon
Bringing the bigness of the outside world under a child’s control. At the outset, the simple white background, cartoon child and purple line make this book seem slight, simple. Cute and childlike. But it’s ultimately a story of empowerment...
Sticky Subjects in Tar Beach
A bold opening paired with dramatic illustrations.
Poverty without self-pity.
The story opens with a dream, immediately pulling the child in via fantasy. It is true to her life, but seen as she would see it, without...
Beatrix Potter: Genius or Insane?: Jemima Puddle-Duck
Natural science, dramatic irony, ageless value? Ducks sit on a nest for 28 days; the gentleman is really a fox; the puppies eat Jemima’s eggs at the end! Unlike, say, Little Bear, the illustrations move...
Why I love Mr. Gumpy's Outing
Joyous illustrations and a surprising storyline make this a true classic.
I expected Mr. Gumpy to get, well, grumpy, since his name looks and sounds so like the word. I was waiting for him to tell one of the animals, “No! I’m all full!” but even when the overloaded boat...
Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect. I’d love to hear from you!