Just in Case [Hardcover]

Judith Viorst (Author), Diana Cain Bluthenthal (Illustrator)

Book Description

Now in paperback for the first time, the story of Charlie, a kid who knows how to be ready for any situation…. Just in Case . If a downpour turns into a flash flood or the grocery store should close indefinitely, Charlie knows exactly what he’ll do. But as Charlie is about to discover, sometimes not being ready is even better than being prepared for everything.

She wants them. She needs them. She loves them. Earrings! What won’t a girl do to finally get her ears pierced? Find out in this delightful tale that perfectly captures the yearnings of a young girl in desperate need of beautiful, glorious earrings!

According to Olivia—who is practically perfect—her younger sister Sophie isn’t very neat. But she’s not just messy, either…. She’s Super-Completely and Totally the Messiest! Olivia’s family tries to show her that Sophie is plenty of things besides a slob, but Olivia is unconvinced. Pictures from Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of Fancy Nancy, make this book super-completely and totally fun!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Viorst's talent for voicing childhood anxieties is evident once again. Charlie likes to be ready for any emergency, so he makes outlandish preparations for whatever might befall him. If someone bossy and mean instead of his favorite sitter comes, he'll make her not glad by washing his feet in the toilet bowl and painting his face a most horrible shade of green. Just in case all the food stores close, he makes a hundred and seventeen peanut-butter sandwiches and stockpiles goodies for everyone in the family. Readers will enjoy his antics to protect himself from being swooped up by a bird on the way to school or escaping a mermaid who might grab his big toe. And they will relish the special surprise for which Charlie is completely unprepared. In full-page and vignette mixed-media cartoon illustrations, Bluthenthal depicts a determined kid, accompanied by his ever-faithful dog, as he goes about his preparations. One hilarious spread shows the boy outstretched in exhaustion after packing food to last through to the middle of May. Along with Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (HarperCollins, 2000) and Helen Lester's Something Might Happen (Houghton, 2003), this book offers some reassurance to readers preoccupied with their fears.–Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Charlie is a cautious sort, a kid who likes to be prepared for any contingency. He dons his raingear "just in case" it rains in the house, makes 117 PB&J sandwiches "just in case" all the food stores are closed, digs a pit "just in case" a lion gets loose, and--you get the idea. He's prepared for everything . . . except the surprise ending of this droll little story. Blumenthal's colorful, mixed-media illustrations add some good cheer, sly wit (the title of Charlie's book, Semper Paratus, is an especially nice touch), and a companionable canine to the catalog of Charlie's hypothetical "just in case" concerns. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689871643
• ISBN-13: 978-0689871641
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,983,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Viorst has written many books for children, including the classics Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels, and If I Were in Charge of the World and Other Stories. She is also the author of Just in Case, illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. She lives with her husband, Milton, in Washington D.C.