What to Do When You're Sent to Your Room

by Ann Stott, Stephen Gilpin (Illustrator)

Overview

Every kid who ever earned a few time-outs on his or her own turf will smile at this deadpan primer—and parents may wish to take notes for future reference.

Ben is nothing if not prepared. So when he gets caught feeding his dinner to the dog (again) and is sent his room (again), he’s up to the challenge of solitary confinement. And he’s more than happy to share strategies with readers, from unearthing his cache of hidden snacks to liberating his caged pets, honing his slingshot skills — and of course drafting his birthday list. There’s so much to do! Will there be time to do it all before his time is up? That just may depend on Ben’s older brother. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763660529
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/23/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD820L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ann Stott is the author of Always and I’ll Be There, both illustrated by Matt Phelan. About What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room, she says, “My youngest son has spent a fair amount of time in his room. Some of the strategies in this book are based on his own.” Ann Stott lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Stephen Gilpin has illustrated more than thirty books for children, including the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk? books, written by Lin Oliver. About this book he says, “I hope I made the room look messy enough. I haven’t seen a kid’s room that wasn’t pretty darn messy.” Stephen Gilpin lives in Kansas.

Editorial Reviews

…Ben's amusing guide to surviving room-bound stretches is part practicality…part unapologetic anarchy…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

07/21/2014
Ben, the hero of this funny how-to, has spent so much time in his bedroom that he’s wallpapered an entire corner with photos torn out of a sports magazine. “My entire room should be completed by the summer,” he notes with... pride? Yes, Ben assures readers, being sent to one’s room as punishment can be the epitome of “me time” for the well-prepared kid: productive (“This is also a good time to sort my baseball cards”) and reflective (when better to decide what video games he wants as birthday gifts?). Ben can even improve his “special-ops skills” with the help of his expressive pug, who joins him during his temporary banishment. Gilpin (100 Snowmen), working in an exaggerated cartoon realism reminiscent of Mad magazine, has created a ne plus ultra of a messy boys’ room, and his portrayal of Ben is very much in sync with the cool confidence and strategic smarts articulated in Stott’s (I’ll Be There) matter-of-fact first-person narration. It just confirms what parents have feared all along: going to one’s room isn’t exactly doing hard time. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agent: Shannon Associates. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The timeout is a stubborn feature of modern childhood, and wild-eyed Ben’s amusing guide to surviving room-bound stretches is part practicality — update birthday list; sort baseball cards — part unapologetic anarchy — make faces at brother out the window; wait for him to do something even worse than what you did.
—New York Times Book Review

A funny how-to. ... Gilpi, working in an exaggerated cartoon realism reminiscent of Mad magazine, has created a ne plus ultra of a messy boys’ room, and his portrayal of Ben is very much in sync with the cool confidence and strategic smarts articulated in Stott’s matter-of-fact first-person narration.
—Publishers Weekly

Hand-drawn and digitally colored illustrations bring Ben to life for readers: the gleam in his eye, his mischievous grin, his imagination, his deadpan manner, the false emotions he puts on to apologize. But by the end, readers may be wondering whether Ben purposefully gets sent to time out—it seems to be that much fun. Parents: Beware what happens behind your child's closed door when you pronounce: "Go to your room!"
—Kirkus Reviews

Children will enjoy the boy’s creative, matter-of-fact approach to his confinement.... Gilpin’s drawings capture perfectly the child’s interests and expressions—not to mention the wildly disordered state of his room.
—School Library Journal

The jauntiness of the Everykids and their oh-so-ordinary home in the suburbs has a Hanna-Barbera-esque cartoon style that seems story-boarded for imminent animation. There’s much hilarity to be found here, and the narrator’s impeccable advice could argue for this title’s inclusion in the nonfiction section. Hmmm.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

10/01/2014
Gr 1–3—Ben is sent to his room for feeding his dog his dinner (again!), and he certainly isn't using the time for quiet contemplation. He writes an apology letter because he knows it will help spring him. Ben unearths his stash of hidden snacks, releases his pets for his amusement, and thinks about which battle video games he'd like for his birthday. As he knowingly says, "Time alone in my room is great for this kind of tough decision-making." Eventually, he finds his slingshot and works on his "special-ops skills" by using the heads of his army men to fire at his stuffed animals. The boy revels in time away from the bossy adults in his life and waits for his brother's bad behavior to secure his release. Children will enjoy the boy's creative, matter-of-fact approach to his confinement, but adults will feel a bit queasy when confronted with the boy's thoughts and actions. Gilpin's drawings capture perfectly the child's interests and expressions—not to mention the wildly disordered state of his room. Mischievous boys with hearts of gold are a staple of childhood literature, but calculating boys are a bit harder to root for.—Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA

School Library Journal

2014-07-29
This may be one of those books parents don't want their children to read—of course, the prohibited is all the more attractive. Ben is no stranger to spending some time alone in his room: He gets sent there. A lot. Therefore, he has some tips to pass along to readers. First, get the apology out of the way early to avoid further punishment. Next, raid the hiding places where you've stashed food. (What?! You mean you don't have any? Drop this right now and go find some!) To while away the time, Ben makes some tough decisions (regarding his birthday wish list), redecorates his room (tape and magazine cutouts are involved!) and plays with his pets. Sorting baseball cards, organizing collections and making faces at his big brother are also great activities. And since Ben shares a room with said brother, he can usually count on his time being shortened, as his "mom never leaves us alone together in our room." A page turn shows why. Hand-drawn and digitally colored illustrations bring Ben to life for readers: the gleam in his eye, his mischievous grin, his imagination, his deadpan manner, the false emotions he puts on to apologize. But by the end, readers may be wondering whether Ben purposefully gets sent to time out—it seems to be that much fun. Parents: Beware what happens behind your child's closed door when you pronounce: "Go to your room!" (Picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews