The Little Red Pen: A Hilarious Story About a School Supplies Rescue Mission for Kids

by Janet Stevens, Susan Stevens Crummel

Kids—and adults—will never see their school supplies in quite the same way again. Poor Little Red Pen! She can’t possibly correct a mountain of homework all by herself. Who will help her? “Not I!” says Stapler. “Not I!” says Eraser. “ ¡Yo no! ” says Pushpin. But when the Little Red Pen tumbles in exhaustion into the Pit of No Return (the trash!), her fellow school supplies must get themselves out of the desk drawer and work together to rescue her. Trouble is, their plan depends on Tank, the rotund class hamster, who’s not inclined to cooperate. Will the Little Red Pen be lost forever? There’s no lack of trial and error, hilarious chaos, or creative problem solving in this mission!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Fantasy, School, Writing

56 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2011

About the author

Janet Stevens began drawing as a child. Pictures decorated her walls, mirrors, furniture and school work -- including math assignments. While this didn't always sit well with her teachers, it was what she loved to do.

Janet’s father was in the Navy therefore she moved a great deal and attended many schools while growing up.

After graduating from high school in Hawaii in 1971 she landed a job creating Hawaiian designs for fabric. The printed fabric was then made into aloha shirts and muumuus. After she graduated from the University of Colorado in 1975 with a degree in Fine Arts Janet began compiling a portfolio of “characters”, bears in tutus, rhinos in sneakers, and walruses in Hawaiian shirts. In 1977, she attended “The Illustrator's Workshop” in New York City, where it was suggested that her characters might find a home in a children's book. Luckily for libraries (and children's book readers in general), publishers agreed and her first book was published in 1979.

Janet is the author and illustrator of many original stories and frequently collaborates with her sister, Susan Stevens Crummel. Her trademark humorous animals also accompany the texts by such authors as Eric Kimmel and Coleen Salley,

Janet has received numerous book awards, including a Caldecott Honor Award, Time Magazine’s Ten Best Children’s Books , the Wanda Gág Best Read-Aloud Book. Child Magazine’s Best Books of the Year.. Janet's books have been named ALA Notables and have repeatedly appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List.

She is particularly proud of her state book awards, voted on by children -- which include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Nebraska and Washington. Janet has received the prestigious Texas Bluebonnet Award twice.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

so, first of all I didn't know until this book that Janet and Susan are sisters. (blush). The Little Red Hen meets Office Depot. This of course lends itself to all sorts of puns and funny characters (the pushpin made me laugh aloud), & silly illustrations. (LOVED all the excuses on why they can't help the little red pen grade the papers). Great concept with lots of potential, however I think the story could have been edited a little. Nice message about individual talents helping the team. Super great idea for an end of the year teacher gift!

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordplay runs amok in Janet Stevens' latest picture book. It's the old story of Little Red Hen retold, sort of, but then again, it's completely different. Sitting atop a paper-cluttered teacher's desk, Little Red Pen rushes to get papers graded. If they don't get the papers graded, she says, "the students won't learn, the school might close, the walls might tumble, the floor might crumble, the sky might fall, it might be the end of the world! Who will help me save the world?"

But from Stapler, Eraser, Scissors, Pencil, and all the other desk tools, all she hears is, "Not I." Stapler can't because people keep pounding on him and his back might be broken! Pencil can't because he doesn't want to get sharpened down to a nub ("who needs a nub?"). Eraser can't because...what was the question? He can't remember--his head is getting smaller. In her attempts to grade the papers herself, Little Red Pen falls into "the pit of no return"--the trash can. Is this the end of the world?

Oh my goodness, sooooo many puns. Clever, clever, clever, that Janet Stevens. The particular skills of each desk tool prove to be more useful than even they thought as they pool their resources to rescue Little Red Pen. Give a copy of this book to your favorite teacher. She might just use her little red pen to mark a big, smiling, happy face on your next paper.

For a little taste of the wit here, watch the trailer.

[Donalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel's work and they are hilarious personages, but this book was a disappointment. The distinct personalities for each tool in a teacher's desk were funny, but the idea that students will not learn if their papers are not marked up by the little red pen annoyed me.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 3 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمهٔ فارسی: خودکار قرمزی کوچولو

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Little Red Pen rolls off the desk, and into the pit of no return the other school supplies in the drawer put together a rescue mission to save her from the pit, and save the known world in the process.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent re-telling of the Little Red Hen - poor Red Pen can't get anyone to help with homework until they must all pull together to help each other...I like the school desk/classroom version - would love to do it as a read aloud soon....

[Mahdiye Fateh · Rating 4 out of 5]

خودکار قرمزی کوچولو میتونه برای سالهای اول دبستان و خونده شدن سر کلاس بسیار جذاب باشه.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect with this one and I was surprised at what I found. I'm also surprised this is the first of it's kind that I've come across.
In my experience too many 'bubble texts' can easily take away from the story. This story has a lot. I guess I like to just read straight through without having to worry about "extras" but the whole "speech in a bubble" thing should be saved for comics for the most part. IMHO.
Susan Stevens Crummel's illustrations work perfectly with the storyline. I can't think of one single illustrator who I could say I'd have rather liked to see illustrate here.
As far as I know this is the first we've read from Janet Stevens and even without the negative that I mentioned above I can tell Stevens is talented. Hopefully, if she has other books, they aren't all along the lines of this one.
This is good, not great but it's bound to get a great many 4 and 5 star ratings and glowing reviews.


Update: we rechecked this out of the library and read it again on 8/12/11. (Because Mommy didn't remember ever reading it before and because Mommy didn't listen to Julia that we had in fact read it.)
I liked it better this time around but I can't help but find it telling that I forgot it so completely in less than a few months. Especially since it's really not a very common looking book. Oh well, it was a little better the second time around.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It is funny! The Red pen is grading paper during the night. Although she asks for help, no one will. When she falls into the trash can accidently the others ( eraser,scissors, stapler, ruler, highlighter) try to help grade the papers but make a mess. They decide to rescue the Red pen. It's daring & dangerous in a hilarious sequence of events they save the day and Little Red Pen.

RECOMMEND. This is one to add to your Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel collection.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rounded up to 3 stars on this one because of the cool illustrations, and the fact that I have a "thing" for office supplies, especially pens. (I've been known to linger in the "pen" aisle longer than normal, whatever "normal" is. But red marks have a bad repution on school papers, and I had a hard time reconciling that as I read this book, targeted for children.

[Portia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful writing. Too wordy and extreme in the mission of the office supplies. Great idea gone off the rails. Too bad, as illustrations are excellent.

[Sunah Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Red Pen has a lot of papers to grade for students. Without other school supplies’ help, she worked on it by herself and fell into the wastebasket. The rest of the school supplies cooperate to rescue her.
In this story, the school supplies were personified and represented their characteristics. The red pen was the one who has a responsibility to grade students’ paper, on the other hand, others such as a highlighter, a stapler, and a pushpin played roles to support grading and organizing papers. They also showed the supplies' fears of being discarded when they no longer function properly. For instance, if the ink were dried out, the highlighter would go into the wastebasket. All the supplies who fell into the wastebasket were saved in this story, but I believed that learning to throw away supplies/things you no longer need is also a valuable lesson that children could benefit from. A guide for parents might be necessary for some readers, like me, because some children could misunderstand the story and believe that they should keep old, unnecessary school supplies. There is lots of communication between the school supplies in the text. By using different colors and font types, it was easy for readers to recognize who says what. The authors did a good job with representing the energetic and active mood of the story and the characters by formatting the texts in curvy and swirling lines rather than the flat lines. The illustrations also looked unique and exotic, which is effective because it exposes children to diverse art styles and encourages their creativity.

[Sophie Hadfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a group of school supplies who have to grade students papers, or else the students won't learn! But, the red pen is the only one willing to do the work - every other utensil is too scared that they'll break down if they do an ounce more of work, or fall into the pit of no return (the trash can). So, the little red pen stays up all night to grade student's papers, but gets so tired that she falls into the pit of no return. When her friends realized what has happened, they go on a mission to get her back. After many methods and more utensils falling into the pit, they finally get them out by using paperclips and each other, and are able to grade the students papers in time.

I loved this book, not only for the story but also the illustrations! It was so vibrant with a Geronimo Stilton type of writing. The story exemplifies working together and having no fear to get the job done. This book is a great story for kids and the classroom.

I could see this book being used in the classroom for various types of group activities, but also to teach the lesson that it's important to learn how to work together to accomplish similar goals. I think this would also be a good at home read as a fun little story for parents to read to their kids.

[Megan Taff · Rating 5 out of 5]

summary: In this book, The Little Red Pen is left to grade a massive pile of homework. When she asks for help from other school supplies, they all say no. As she stays up late trying to push through her exhaustion, the gets thrown in the trash. Suddenly the other school supplies realize what has happened and they begin to try and find ways to rescue The Little Red Pen. Will the pen be saved? Did the other school supplies learn something?

Theme: Help those who need help.

Rating: 5 out of five stars

Response: This book was a fun a creative way for children to understand the power in helping someone. The illustration and words were very engaging for a child to understand.

Recommend: I highly recommend reading this book to children who are just going into school so they can learn to help the students around them.

[Mariah Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable bilingual picture book in which animated the supplies we use to correct papers as teachers, take notes for our students and cut paper. I enjoyed that this book used a lot of onomatopoeia, sound effects and bolded words! In addition to the figurative language within the story, I liked the overall message that within chaos and high stress we can still overcome utilizing supplies we use for school. The red pen can still overcome the chaos! Despite the numerous excuses of the other supplies, the red pen can persevere!

[Holly Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good read. I do believe that it would not keep the attention of a Kindergarten or First grade class. This is like any other book about toys, pens, or anything, it is amazing to actually see how the objects would act if they really did come alive. I would us a drawing activity for this book. Oh, no! Another character from The Little Red Pen has fallen into “The Pit of No Return!” Draw a plan or
invention that would help the character get out of the trash can. Label the parts of your plan or invention.

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adorable story about the school supplies that came together to grade some papers! The little red pen is determined to grade all of the papers, but no one will help her. She tries her hardest but encounters a problem. It is then up to the other to rescue the little red pen and save the day! This book illustrates how important teamwork is and that everyone could use a little help every now and then! I absolutely loved the illustrations and felt that the illustrator did a great job and making the characters come alive.

[Ashley Biles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stevens, J., Crummel, S. S. (2011) The little red pen. Boston, Massachusetts: HMH Books for Young Readers.

This was an adorable and fun way to describe team work and how it makes everything easier. It also has an underlying story of finding a way to do something, even though you do not think you are made for it.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Bright almost realistic human faces given to the various desk objects and writing utensils
- Story about bravery and helping one another out
- Text color corresponds to the speaker
- Includes some Spanish text

I enjoyed this story because I thought the art style through which the illustrations were done was super unique and interesting. I also found the story to be endearing and funny.

[Lupe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a retelling of The Little Red Hen. The school supplies take on different personalities and there is a surprise character. The characters' voices are illustrated in different colors too. I'm not sure why the "Red Pen" would be a hero because my students hated red marks on their work but I see how the author used it for this retelling.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Red Pen
by Janet Stevens
A resource learning text for first grade. Used over a week to help children analyze and understand the text. The concept of each person has their own strength and that working together we can accomplish great things. The idea of team work and understanding help the young children to understand their world and how they are a part of it.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second graders loved this story and the illustrations! We had a great conversation about when does learning happen - when the teacher corrects your paper or when you do the work and fix any errors?

[Amanda Vander hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has wonderful illustrations and incorporates the colors and speech bubbles of text into the story being told. It is a quick read and great for a read-aloud, with the large text and the large illustrations that encapsulate the big idea of the page. The story is well-written and will help students not be afraid of the red pen, because it is helping them be better students and learners. It is a nice take on grading and what teachers have to do to get work back to their students, all the effort that goes into it.


Stevens, J. (2011, April 18). The Little Red Pen. Boston, MA: HMH Books for Young Readers.

[Cecilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book missed the mark with me (HA!) so much that I couldn't even finish reading it. I flipped through the rest to look at the pictures, but even those couldn't convince me to finish reading the story. It was a clever idea, but such a boring execution :(

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a funny story along the idea of the Little Red Hen. Little Red Pen needed help marking students' papers, but no one would help, so she worked alone into the night until she fell over and rolled off the desk. When the others saw she was gone they had to do something!

[Tara Mcallister]

“The Little Red Pen” is a go getter who is out to tackle the grading world, and can’t seem to get any help from his fellow office supply friends. Finally, when The Little Red Pen gives out from exhaustion, the other office supplies come together to help get the job done!

[Kelsey Bielec]

This book is a testament to working together and finding your purpose and ability to help the community. The characters see what they are and are not good at and discover that each person has their own role in life. However, to do this, you need the support of others around you.

[Villain E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super wordy and awkwardly paced. An anthropomorphized red pen is grading papers. The other office supplies refuse to help. Then the pen rolls off the table. First they try to do the same job, then they try to retrieve the red pen.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another children’s story crossed my sightline today: this funny, sweet adaptation of “The Little Red Hen” that uses office supplies rather than farm animals. Nice drawings & a Spanish-speaking push pin—an instant classic for this now-retired red pen user.

[Malysa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations, my kiddos were entertained in class. The problematic needed to be different, it didn’t stick with them that much. But overall, it was a good read, they loved Chincheta’s sassiness.