The Meanest Birthday Girl

by Josh Schneider, Josh Schneider (Illustrator)

Overview

* "A gift of a book for new readers.”  —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

It’s Dana’s birthday, so she can do what she likes. And what Dana likes to do is pinch. And call people names. And steal her classmates’ desserts. You probably know a kid like Dana. What can stop her from being so mean? In this story, it’s not what you might expect. Because sometimes, it takes a little creativity (and possibly a very large pet) to change a mean kid’s ways. Five short chapters with comical full-color illustrations offer a fresh, fun take on bullying and birthdays (and pet elephants).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544455979
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Josh Schneider is the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creator of  Tales for Very Picky Eaters, as well as The Meanest Birthday Girl. His first book for Clarion, You'll Be Sorry, was named "Book That Provides Best Ammunition to Parents Weary of Warning Their Kids About Socking Their Siblings" by Publishers Weekly magazine. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. 

Josh Schneider is the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creator of  Tales for Very Picky Eaters, as well as The Meanest Birthday Girl. His first book for Clarion, You'll Be Sorry, was named "Book That Provides Best Ammunition to Parents Weary of Warning Their Kids About Socking Their Siblings" by Publishers Weekly magazine. He lives in Chicago, Illinois. 

Editorial Reviews

"Schneider seems to draw inspiration from both O. Henry and Edward Gorey, with deadpan, dead-on writing and meticulously inked, elegantly styled watercolors."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Schneider's multimedia illustrations employ the same humorous, expressive line seen in his Geisel Award-winning Tales for Very Picky Eaters (2011), delivering a remarkable package. A gift of a book for new readers."
—Kirkus, starred review
"Schneider's watercolor, ink, and pencil illustrations have humor and sweetness."
—School Library Journal


"In five short, humorous stories, with whimsical watercolor illustrations, this beginning chapter book by a Geisel Award winner should appeal to every new reader's sense of fun, especially if they've ever had a diva moment. And really, who hasn't?"
—Booklist —

From the Publisher

Despite the heavy subject matter, the story remains lightly comic, assisted by Schneider's snappy illustrations.

The New York Times Book Review - Pamela Paul

Dana’s supercilious, selfish demeanor makes it clear that her behavior on her birthday is no different from her modus operandi on the other 364 days of the year. Imagine her surprise, then, when her most put-upon peer gives her a very large white elephant as a gift. “Dana would not have given a birthday present to someone who called her an ickaborse and pinched her and ate the dessert out of her lunch.” But trying to be a conscientious pet owner results in sleepless nights and hungry days for Dana. Schneider (Tales for Very Picky Eaters) seems to draw inspiration from both O. Henry and Edward Gorey, with deadpan, dead-on writing and meticulously inked, elegantly styled watercolors (the lumbering pachyderm is quite a looker, its whiteness evoked through washes of icy pink and blue). What’s more, he pulls off quite the hat trick: he serves justice, subtly (and quite cleverly) lets readers see another side to Dana, and brings the story to a close in a way that both makes amends and pays it forward, Gothic-style. Ages 6–9. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 1–3—Dana is downright mean. Because she gets to do whatever she wants on her birthday, she pinches, takes her friend Anthony's dessert without asking, and name-calls. Dana is an ornery bully until Anthony gives her a white elephant with pink toenails as a gift. It needs endless love and attention, and Dana quickly learns to care about something other than herself. When another birthday girl needs to learn a lesson about how to act on her big day, Dana knows just what to give her. Schneider's watercolor, ink, and pencil illustrations have humor and sweetness: the cover art is hilarious and there is a lovely moment when Dana is depicted lying on a hill, exhausted, and the elephant's trunk is reaching around to take her sandwich. The small details in the artwork add to the character development; the ever-present Band-Aid on Dana's knee along with the horses and unicorns that decorate her room give readers insight into her personality. However, there are also oddities in the artwork: the vacant look in the children's circular eyes can be disconcerting. While this charming early chapter book is more a story about a girl and her pet than it is about birthday shenanigans, young readers are sure to enjoy it.—Laura Lutz, Pratt Institute, New York City

School Library Journal

Little Dana needs big lessons in kindness more than any birthday present--unless a present can teach her something, that is. She starts her special day wearing her favorite dress and eating her favorite breakfast, and then, because it's her birthday "and she could do whatever she liked," she teases a boy named Anthony. She calls him "ickaborse" and pinches him, and she eats his dessert after her own at school. She later receives many gifts at her party, but none compares with the present Anthony brings after her guests depart: "a big white elephant." Dana is overwhelmed by the gift's specialness and is determined to prove her worthiness of the creature, since, as she tells other children, "Not everyone deserves an elephant." Her dogged efforts result in exhaustion, and with it, Dana becomes a target for another mean girl's teasing. When audible hunger pangs plague her after she gives up her breakfast to the voracious elephant, for example, "Gertrude called her Grumble-Guts on the bus." The chagrined Dana talks with Anthony, who generously reminds her about Gertrude's coming birthday party, and it seems she's found another birthday girl who deserves an elephant. Throughout, Schneider's multimedia illustrations employ the same humorous, expressive line seen in his Geisel Award–winning Tales for Very Picky Eaters (2011), delivering a remarkable package. A gift of a book for new readers. (Early reader. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews