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Overview
Clayton and Desmond are back in this companion to the bestselling book THE BIGGEST PUMPKIN EVER! A sheet of colorful foil stickers is bound into the book for extra valentine fun!When Mrs. Mousely asks her class to make valentines, Clayton and Desmond decide to make one together and give it to their teacher as a surprise. But things don't go as planned. First Clayton puts too much glitter on the card. Then Desmond puts on too many hearts. Soon the friends are arguing and they rip the card in half. "I'm going to make my own valentine!" they both say and go home in a huff.
But then Desmond and Clayton realize that by working together they can make the biggest, best valentine ever!
Kids can use the colorful foil stickers to make their own valentines!
Synopsis
When Mrs. Mousely asks her class to make valentines, Clayton and Desmond decide to make one together and give it to their teacher as a surprise. But things don't go as planned. First Clayton puts too much glitter on the card. Then Desmond puts on too many hearts. Soon the friends are arguing and they rip the card in half. "I'm going to make my own valentine!" they both say and go home in a huff. But then Desmond and Clayton realize that by working together they can make the biggest, best valentine ever! Kids can use the colorful foil stickers to make their own valentines!
Sheilah Egan - Children's Literature
In this sequel to The Biggest Pumpkin Ever and The Biggest Snowman Ever, Kroll gives us the story of two mice who want to create a special Valentine for their teacher, Mrs. Mousley. Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to make a card as a surprise, but discover that being partners is harder than they had anticipated. They start out fine but end up criticizing each other's work and becoming angry. In their anger they destroy the Valentine. Each mouseling goes home chastened. Wise mouse-fathers counsel their offspring that working together often produces better results than working alone. The boys return to school and begin anew to cooperate in fashioning a very unusual card. Each of them uses his best skill: "Desmond, who was good at cutting small things, cut some tiny pink hearts . . . " and "Clayton added some glitter and cut out a bunch of other hearts." They glue all of the hearts together to make a gigantic, mouse-shaped Valentine. Of course, the fabulous card is much admired by the teacher and their classmates. The lesson of the story is not too heavy handed and the giant mouse-of-hearts card will serve as an inspiration for creating cards in the classroom or at home. The illustrator pays tribute to the two earlier Kroll titles with pictures featuring a pumpkin and a snowman neatly hung on the dining room wall in Clayton's house. 2006, Cartwheel/Scholastic, Ages 4 to 6.
Editorials
Children's Literature
In this sequel to The Biggest Pumpkin Ever and The Biggest Snowman Ever, Kroll gives us the story of two mice who want to create a special Valentine for their teacher, Mrs. Mousley. Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to make a card as a surprise, but discover that being partners is harder than they had anticipated. They start out fine but end up criticizing each other's work and becoming angry. In their anger they destroy the Valentine. Each mouseling goes home chastened. Wise mouse-fathers counsel their offspring that working together often produces better results than working alone. The boys return to school and begin anew to cooperate in fashioning a very unusual card. Each of them uses his best skill: "Desmond, who was good at cutting small things, cut some tiny pink hearts . . . " and "Clayton added some glitter and cut out a bunch of other hearts." They glue all of the hearts together to make a gigantic, mouse-shaped Valentine. Of course, the fabulous card is much admired by the teacher and their classmates. The lesson of the story is not too heavy handed and the giant mouse-of-hearts card will serve as an inspiration for creating cards in the classroom or at home. The illustrator pays tribute to the two earlier Kroll titles with pictures featuring a pumpkin and a snowman neatly hung on the dining room wall in Clayton's house. 2006, Cartwheel/Scholastic, Ages 4 to 6.—Sheilah Egan