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Summary
Summary
Want to encourage a child to write creatively? Introduce him to Rufus! The joy of writing (and reading) fills every page of this charming picture book.
Why have a lemonade stand when you can have a story stand? That's what Rufus, a boy with a big imagination, decides. And once he's in business, he starts creating little gems for his friends and family. Millie and Walter trade a shell for his story called "Why Orange Is the Best Color." Rufus writes little sister Annie a story for her birthday about a girl who shrinks to the size of a teacup. Sara trades flowers for a story about a family of buttons. And then they all sit down and read the wonderful stories together.
Author Notes
Elizabeth Bram is the author and illustrator of eight previous picture books. She is also an internationally exhibited painter. Ms. Bram lives in Baldwin, New York, with nine cats.
Chuck Groenink has illustrated several picture books, among them Santa Clauses- Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka, The Backwards Birthday Party by Tom Chapin and John Forster, and Under a Pig Tree by Margi Palatini. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Mr. Groenink now lives and works in Syracuse, New York, with only two cats. Learn more at chuckgroenink.com.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Instead of selling lemonade, Rufus decides to open a "story stand." He barters his stories for offerings from his friends, a diverse group of colors and sizes. Millie and her brother Walter are going swimming. "I'll take one story, please. How much?" asks Walter. "Just bring me a special shell from the beach," Rufus replies, and starts writing. "Red and Yellow got married and had a baby named Orange," he begins, as the characters are shown as fish swimming among seaweed. Rufus trades a story about a cat for a newborn kitten, then remembers that his sister Annie's birthday is approaching and writes a tale for her: "Annie could not pour the tea because the teapot and the cups would not stop dancing." Groenink (Under a Pig Tree) gives the children simple forms and features, and the neighborhood's trees pleasing, Matisse-like shapes. Bram, in her first children's book since 1980's Woodruff and the Clocks, questions the conviction that things only have value if they cost money, holding Rufus up as an unconventional hero whose creations draw his friends into community. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Rufus decides to set up a "story stand" for the summer. As each customer stops by, Rufus writes and illustrates a story unique to that person, with entertaining results; as payment he asks for a shell from the beach, a kitten, and a surprise. This quiet story celebrates creativity and generosity. Mixed-media art in a rich palette includes Rufus's illustrated stories. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
One afternoon, while watching the clouds, a young boy is inspired to run a story stand for the summer instead of a lemonade stand. All in a day's time, Rufus sets up his stand, establishes a system that lets customers trade objects for stories, and begins to write, illustrate, and hand out his compositions. Four neighborhood children commission Rufus to pen them each a story with topics spanning colors, kittens, buttons, and a tea party which are integrated into the book's overall narrative, as are his delightful tokens of payment. This is a quiet, pleasant tale without conflict. Even the reactions to Rufus' stories are serene, as each child reads through what he has written. Softly colored illustrations in acrylic, pencil, and gouache feature a racially diverse cast of characters that perfectly match the tranquil tone of the text. Rufus' entrepreneurial endeavor introduces readers (on a very simple level) to the concepts of trade and creative writing, in addition to serving as a sweet summer anthology.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2015 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Rufus is a dreamy, imaginative kid with loads of creative energy. He decides to put his talents to work for him one summer by running a "story stand." The boy dons a bow tie and sets himself up with a table and his pens in his front yard and gets down to business. Rufus prides himself in crafting each story to suit his customers' tastes and interests. The book contains four of his fully illustrated child-centric selections. Groenink chooses a lush and delicious sun-drenched palette for his upbeat and lively full-bleed gouache, acrylic, and pencil artwork. Rufus's own creations are clearly set off from the main narrative by orange borders and depictions of different writing implements. You might ask yourselves what kind of a kid turns down a trip to the beach? One who takes himself and his creativity seriously. His neighbor Sara asks, "How much will it [a story] cost?" Rufus replies, "Whatever you think. Surprise me." The highlight comes at the end of the day when the friends gather to exchange their barters and read their stories. Upon receiving "Annie and the Dancing Teapot" as an early birthday gift, Rufus's sister Annie says, "This is the best present ever! Can you read it to me?" "Of course," he replied. VERDICT A charming, celebratory ode to the writing life and those who follow their artistic inclinations wherever they lead.-Luann Toth, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
"Rufus was watching a cloud shaped like a cushion turn into a cat when the idea first came to him. I'm not going to have a lemonade stand this summer,' he said. I'm going to have a story stand!' " Rufus runs off "to gather pencils and paper and markers," after which an eight-panel double-page spread shows him going through the sequence of setting up a table and chair for his enterprise, carefully decorating both the table and himself. As unlikely as it may seem, when friends Millie and Walter come by and invite Rufus to go swimming with them, Rufus declines, as he has "a story stand to run." He tells these friends that their price for a story will be a seashell from the beach. Rufus (who is Caucasian) creates a story specifically for his sister and for each of several friends of differing genders, ages, and skin tones; "payments" vary. Each simple story "by Rufus" spans two to four pages, with hand printing and colorful art. The text about Rufus is in black typeface, with artwork similar to that attributed to Rufus. The entire bookincluding the endpapersis a tribute to literacy. It may appeal to bibliophiles, but its lack of action beyond reading, writing, and walking is unlikely to create any converts. The idea is original and appealing, but the execution is less than inspiring. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
