The Sparkly Bun

(NOTE: I was given a copy of this book but all opinions are my own.)

Before I start talking about this book, I want to share an experience I had that relates to this book.

When I was a freshman in college, one of my roommates happened to have a class with my brother. Mid-way through the semester, she made an off-hand comment that my brother wore the same shirt all the time.

What?!?

He had never done that before. Ever. Well, at least not to my knowledge.

I asked him what the deal was. Come to find out, he rotated 2 shirts -wearing them every other day. Since university classes were every other day, it ended up that he always wore the same shirt on the same day that he had the class with my roommate.

Too funny.

So now, let’s turn our attention to the book at hand, shall we?

What do you get when you cross reading a bedtime story to a daughter with your love of cheeseburgers? You get the heart-warming story The Sparkly Bun by Keith Stoeckeler.

Years ago while reading a bedtime story to his daughter, Stoeckeler was inspired to write a children’s book. Since he loved cheeseburgers, he thought about incorporating them into his book. That idea simmered on the back burner in his mind until those ideas melded together and became The Sparkly Bun.

Emme, the main character, loved wearing her sparkly bun. (Girls sure like sparkly things!) One day, she couldn’t find it.

Come to find out, it was in the laundry waiting to be washed.

Emme got her sparkly bun out of the laundry anyway and wore it to school the next day.

Her friends teased her for wearing her sparkly bun two days in a row. (This is what reminded me of my roommate’s comment.) Emme wanted to wear her sparkly bun again because she thought her friend would wear hers. Then they would look the same.

Then, Emme noticed a girl wearing a potato roll. Emme decided she needed to get a potato roll.

She also saw a girl wearing a pretzel bun. Emme wanted one of those, too. (Isn’t that so typical? Kids wanting to fit in by wearing the same clothes that their friends wear?)

I’m going to pause here a moment to talk about the illustrations. The kids are drawn as ‘one-patty cheeseburgers.’ The adults are drawn as ‘two-patty cheeseburgers.’ This is how the author’s love of cheeseburgers was incorporated into the story. (Is that a subliminal message about adults putting on weight around their middle?)

See the teacher in the picture below? Two patties. What a fun way to differentiate between kids and adults!

Back to the story.

When she got home, Emme told her parents that she wanted a pretzel bun AND a potato roll because her friends had them.

Emme’s dad gently said that she didn’t have to ‘dress’ like everybody else. She could be special in her own way.

Then he gave her this nugget of wisdom. Friendship is based on the kind of person you are and not on the clothes you wear. (Oh that teen-aged girls could realize this . . . )

Then, Emme got a brilliant idea. One that I think is awesome.

But!

I’m not going to tell you what it was nor what Emme did. I don’t want to spoil the ending of the story for you. You’ll need to get the book to see how it ends — and it isn’t something that would normally come to the reader’s mind. (Well, at least not to MY mind!)

There’s something else that I like about this book. I think it’s a hoot that the dad in the story has a beard. And is bald. I like that because that’s what the author looks like.

This book contains many bits of wisdom. Like, be yourself. And, others aren’t better than you just because they have something that you don’t. Also, the type of person you are is way more important than the styles of clothing that you wear. Most important, be confident in who YOU are.

When you read the book to your grandkids, talk about those pearls of wisdom. Also talk about how being nice and kind is more important than what you wear, about being your own person, about having self-confidence, and about embracing your unique qualities. Oh, and also that you don’t necessarily have to dress like everybody else!

The audience for this book is children ages five to nine-years-old. You can get a paperback copy of The Sparkly Bun by Keith Stoeckeler on Amazon for $9.50.