The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary

Ages 5 to 8, Grades K to 3

A rollicking read-aloud featuring a wide cast of characters coming to the school nurse for help with their hilariously dramatic bumps, runny noses, and many other colorful complaints!

Kids at Bluebell don’t feel well—

Gus is sad, and Benny fell. 

Splinters, lice, a paper cut, 

throw-up, bumps, a hungry gut. 

Charlee’s tooth won’t wiggle free!

But there's someone to go to—Miss Peatree!

The big feelings and minor dilemmas of elementary school are no match for this hilarious, delightful cast of characters and the untiring compassion of Miss Peatree. One after another, students pile into her office to get fixed up—whether they need a Band-Aid for a bumped knee or a solution for a touch of homesickness. Even the principal visits with an urgent paper cut!

With irresistible, hilarious rhyme and endlessly lively art, Chelsea Lin Wallace and Alison Farrell showcase the humor of elementary school's many little problems and the gentle good sense that puts everything right.

HILARIOUS HUMOR FOR ALL AGES: This genuinely funny picture book for kids will tickle adults, too. It’s tongue-in-cheek but genuine, dramatic but keenly felt. Riddled with rhyme and chock-full of humor in every stanza, it's a perfect read-aloud at school, at bedtime, or whenever kids need cheering up on terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.

TIMELESS TOPIC: Classic in sensibility but with fresh, sharp wit, this book touches on a truly universal topic with an authentic voice young readers will recognize and identify with. The children's struggles immediately capture the drama of feeling sick without being scary.

CELEBRATING SELF-CARE: In celebrating the ups and downs of potentially scary situations—feeling sick or getting injured—this book emphasizes the value of sharing emotions and seeing oneself through life’s various difficulties.

GREAT BOOK FOR CLASSROOM LIBRARY: The accessible, easy-to-read, funny text does an excellent job of getting kids to read and enjoy poetry without even noticing it. In addition to sharing this book for its fun school setting, elementary school teachers and librarians can easily use it in connection with poetry units.

Perfect for:Read-aloud option for parents, teachers, and librarians looking for funny books for kidsStarting-school or back-to-school book for young readersReassuring book for kids who experience sickness or struggle to get through bad daysFans of humor, children's poetry, and books that celebrate big feelings

About the Author

Chelsea Lin Wallace is a children’s author, poet, and former elementary school teacher with a master’s in education. She is the author of A Home Named Walter and Ode to a Bad Day, among other books for children. When she isn’t busy writing for kids, she can be found cheering them on—coaching volleyball, directing musical theater, and encouraging them through their ups and downs. She’s experienced all the boo-boos in this story but not all on the same day. She is represented by Jen Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her daughter Charlee, and her dog, Lucky. Learn more at www.chelsealinwallace.com.

Alison Farrell is the author-illustrator of Cycle City, Bicycle Bash, and The Hike, as well as the illustrator of Kristen Tracy’s Animal Story board book series, among other books for children. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Learn more about her at www.drawdrawdraw.com.