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Lucy Knows Best: Ready-to-Read Level 2
Everyone’s favorite know-it-all gives her friends a piece of her mind in this funny Level 2 Ready-to-Read based on the classic Peanuts comics!
Lucy gives a lot of advice. Why? Because she knows everything! Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Schroeder all come to her for help. But when Lucy can’t seem to win the heart of her crush, can she find the right advice for herself?
© 2016 Peanuts Worldwide LLC
Lucy gives a lot of advice. Why? Because she knows everything! Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Schroeder all come to her for help. But when Lucy can’t seem to win the heart of her crush, can she find the right advice for herself?
© 2016 Peanuts Worldwide LLC
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2016
About the author
Charles M. Schulz
3,041 books1,671 followersCharles Monroe Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.
Schulz's first regular cartoons, Li'l Folks, were published from 1947 to 1950 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press; he first used the name Charlie Brown for a character there, although he applied the name in four gags to three different boys and one buried in sand. The series also had a dog that looked much like Snoopy. In 1948, Schulz sold a cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post; the first of 17 single-panel cartoons by Schulz that would be published there. In 1948, Schulz tried to have Li'l Folks syndicated through the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Schulz would have been an independent contractor for the syndicate, unheard of in the 1940s, but the deal fell through. Li'l Folks was dropped from the Pioneer Press in January, 1950.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his best strips from Li'l Folks, and Peanuts made its first appearance on October 2, 1950. The strip became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. He also had a short-lived sports-oriented comic strip called It's Only a Game (1957–1959), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Young Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.
Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years, almost without interruption; during the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997. At its peak, Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Schulz stated that his routine every morning consisted of eating a jelly donut and sitting down to write the day's strip. After coming up with an idea (which he said could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours), he began drawing it, which took about an hour for dailies and three hours for Sunday strips. He stubbornly refused to hire an inker or letterer, saying that "it would be equivalent to a golfer hiring a man to make his putts for him." In November 1999 Schulz suffered a stroke, and later it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had metastasized. Because of the chemotherapy and the fact he could not read or see clearly, he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999.
Schulz often touched on religious themes in his work, including the classic television cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), which features the character Linus van Pelt quoting the King James Version of the Bible Luke 2:8-14 to explain "what Christmas is all about." In personal interviews Schulz mentioned that Linus represented his spiritual side. Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church. In the 1960s, Robert L. Short interpreted certain themes and conversations in Peanuts as being consistent with parts of Christian theology, and used them as illustrations during his lectures about the gospel, as he explained in his bestselling paperback book, The Gospel According to Peanuts, the first of several books he wrote on religion and Peanuts, and other popular culture items. From the late 1980s, however, Schulz described himself in interviews as a "secular humanist": “I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.”
Schulz's first regular cartoons, Li'l Folks, were published from 1947 to 1950 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press; he first used the name Charlie Brown for a character there, although he applied the name in four gags to three different boys and one buried in sand. The series also had a dog that looked much like Snoopy. In 1948, Schulz sold a cartoon to The Saturday Evening Post; the first of 17 single-panel cartoons by Schulz that would be published there. In 1948, Schulz tried to have Li'l Folks syndicated through the Newspaper Enterprise Association. Schulz would have been an independent contractor for the syndicate, unheard of in the 1940s, but the deal fell through. Li'l Folks was dropped from the Pioneer Press in January, 1950.
Later that year, Schulz approached the United Feature Syndicate with his best strips from Li'l Folks, and Peanuts made its first appearance on October 2, 1950. The strip became one of the most popular comic strips of all time. He also had a short-lived sports-oriented comic strip called It's Only a Game (1957–1959), but he abandoned it due to the demands of the successful Peanuts. From 1956 to 1965 he contributed a single-panel strip ("Young Pillars") featuring teenagers to Youth, a publication associated with the Church of God.
Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years, almost without interruption; during the life of the strip, Schulz took only one vacation, a five-week break in late 1997. At its peak, Peanuts appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries. Schulz stated that his routine every morning consisted of eating a jelly donut and sitting down to write the day's strip. After coming up with an idea (which he said could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours), he began drawing it, which took about an hour for dailies and three hours for Sunday strips. He stubbornly refused to hire an inker or letterer, saying that "it would be equivalent to a golfer hiring a man to make his putts for him." In November 1999 Schulz suffered a stroke, and later it was discovered that he had colon cancer that had metastasized. Because of the chemotherapy and the fact he could not read or see clearly, he announced his retirement on December 14, 1999.
Schulz often touched on religious themes in his work, including the classic television cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), which features the character Linus van Pelt quoting the King James Version of the Bible Luke 2:8-14 to explain "what Christmas is all about." In personal interviews Schulz mentioned that Linus represented his spiritual side. Schulz, reared in the Lutheran faith, had been active in the Church of God as a young adult and then later taught Sunday school at a United Methodist Church. In the 1960s, Robert L. Short interpreted certain themes and conversations in Peanuts as being consistent with parts of Christian theology, and used them as illustrations during his lectures about the gospel, as he explained in his bestselling paperback book, The Gospel According to Peanuts, the first of several books he wrote on religion and Peanuts, and other popular culture items. From the late 1980s, however, Schulz described himself in interviews as a "secular humanist": “I do not go to church anymore... I guess you might say I've come around to secular humanism, an obligation I believe all humans have to others and the world we live in.”
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 6, 2024
I read this to my mom in the dollar tree… we loved it!
August 11, 2017
I loved this book. It was so funny. Lucy is a great character. I especially loved when she was giving advice, to herself!
January 22, 2024
On one hand, Lucy is probably the Peanuts character I like the least, because she's bossy (in terms of talking down to others/ignoring Schroeder's clear "no") and often disregards what others are actually saying in favour of her preferred reality. On the other hand, confidence is good, and Lucy definitely has lots of it.
The thing that bugs me the most is she actually appears to help Charlie Brown on the surface, but Charlie quickly loses the confidence he gains from her advice. The thing I actually *like* the most is .
Recommended for younger readers, though I'm not sure how much of the advice they will understand (I don't have a young reader on hand to gauge the effectiveness).
The thing that bugs me the most is she actually appears to help Charlie Brown on the surface, but Charlie quickly loses the confidence he gains from her advice. The thing I actually *like* the most is .
Recommended for younger readers, though I'm not sure how much of the advice they will understand (I don't have a young reader on hand to gauge the effectiveness).
May 23, 2023
Clearly I'm not the target audience for these books, but as a lifelong Peanuts fan I decided to read it before I passed it on to a friend for their grandchild. The illustrations are hands down the best thing about it. There's not much story to speak of and the Lucy in this book is definitely not the Lucy I remember from my own childhood, but the book is cute and will definitely appeal to its target audience. I look forward to passing it on to someone who will get more out of it than I did.
November 1, 2024
Self-Help to the Extreme
Self-proclaimed psychiatrist Lucy dishes advice to friends for a nickel, but then discovers she needs help herself. Who does she turn to? You guessed it, herself! Fun, funny fits and starts of situations. Peanuts fans would be able to follow this flow best as newer readers may have trouble without smooth transitions. Excellent full-sized colour pages are a delight.
Self-proclaimed psychiatrist Lucy dishes advice to friends for a nickel, but then discovers she needs help herself. Who does she turn to? You guessed it, herself! Fun, funny fits and starts of situations. Peanuts fans would be able to follow this flow best as newer readers may have trouble without smooth transitions. Excellent full-sized colour pages are a delight.
November 16, 2025
A cute book that lifelong and new Peanuts fans will enjoy. Although the stories are newer and have changed to adjust to the social situations of the day, the illustrations are still in the classic style we all know and love. Lucy is just as bossy as ever, but this time she is helping others at her psychiatry booth and in the end, she even sees the doctor herself.
January 5, 2018
I don't think I appreciate these characters like others do. Not quite the attitudes I want my kids mimicking However, "noopy" and "brown" are loved so much, we generally end up altering the content to make it a bit kinder...
March 20, 2024
I love all things Peanuts. Lucy is so funny to me. I got this book for someone's birthday coming up and decided to read it. It's cute and has a great message for little girls at the end.
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#readaway2024 #lucyknowbest #charlesmschulz
😊 Happy Reading 😊
#readaway2024 #lucyknowbest #charlesmschulz
March 14, 2026
Lucy has her psychiatry business. I love Snoopy's grin when he's holding her hand. Lucy tries to win Schrader's affections, but he's not having it. confession: Lucy is my least favorite Peanuts character.
August 29, 2018
I thought it was very, very funny.
June 13, 2021
Picked up this book without much thought, but this ended up being fantastic. Especially when she walks herself to her own booth and gives herself advice. Such a gem 😂
January 27, 2022
my favorite part:
"Good grief! Why are you so mopey?"
"You are a bird, you can fly! Remember, there is a great big sky out there!"
"Good grief! Why are you so mopey?"
"You are a bird, you can fly! Remember, there is a great big sky out there!"
September 10, 2022
Lucy helps everyone with their problems. Who can she go to when she has a problem?
I love Lucy’s confidence.
I love Lucy’s confidence.
October 14, 2023
A great small read from Charlie Brown!
Know your worth!
Know your worth!
March 25, 2024
Youtube
January 21, 2025
Muy chistoso ajajjajajajaj se lo leí a mis niñas
Lucy es toda una reina
Lucy es toda una reina
November 21, 2025
Solid peanuts shenanigans. I like how Woodstock flew off without paying
January 6, 2026
In this beginning reader, Lucy gives advice to members of the Peanuts cast, including herself.
January 26, 2026
I love all things Peanut's gang!
July 13, 2026
Does Lucy really know what's best?? Read on to find out!!!!!
November 1, 2022
This book was adorable! It was a super cute easy-to-read book, that I think would be very good for new and young readers. It is cute and easy all the while still continuing a good little story. I love the ideas of the ready to read books because of their separation through grade levels and developmental stages.
September 1, 2016
A fun beginning reader's tale based on classic "Peanuts" themes with a modernized feminist twist. As all of your favorite Peanuts characters seek Lucy's advice they are greeted by her typical angsty suggestions. Although I was initially turned off by Lucy's (who is also the only female character in the book) problem being of a romantic nature vs. the male's character the author saved this sexist flaw by having Lucy realize on her own that she is smart and should not chase after anyone. An entertaining licensed character the most likely both child and parent will enjoy.
January 22, 2017
1/22/17 Read with Naomi.
8/9/18 Read with Julia.
8/9/18 Read with Julia.
Read
September 24, 2022Lucy is an icon.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews