The Missing Donut

Chris and his cat Crat are very different. He likes everything organized while his cat loves to, “mix things up”. Then, there is the Sprinkle Fairy who owns a word factory in Sicily where the “best words in the world come from”. Her helpers are the Sprinklers which love to sprinkle big words in a story. When readers see the Sprinklers in this book, they know that big words are coming!

The five stories in this book introduce readers to wonderful big words. In “The Missing Donut”, readers discover that someone has “purloined” the donut Chris saved for himself. When the Sprinkle Fairy discovers that Crat has eaten the donut, she turns the naughty cat into a hot dog for a day. In “It`s All Downhill”, Chris allows Crat to ride his bicycle with disastrous results as the cat becomes “discombobulated”. In “The Trouble with Chipmunks”, Chris and Crat are “bamboozled” by a mischievous group of chipmunks which take their radio. After Crat breaks a precious statue into “smithereens” in the story “Museum of Fabulous Art” the dynamic duo tries to replace it with balloon art! And finally, Crat decides to wear “galoshes” on a rainy day in the story, “Mr. Footz`s Fine Footwear”.

The Missing Donut is the first book in the “Big Words Small Stories” series. Judith Henderson’s book appeals to young readers learning new words and making the transition to chapter books. The text is easy to read and full of engaging conversations between Chris, Crat, and the Sprinkle Fairy. Whenever a big word is about to be introduced, the Sprinklers tell readers, “Big Word coming. BIG!” At the bottom of the page, they also provide pronunciation clues, “Say it: purr-loynd.” Chris and Crat are active, amusing and enthusiastic characters which young readers will definitely be able to identify with in order to learn about the big words presented in this book.

The illustrations by T. L. McBeth are full of important information which adds to the stories. Chris is shocked when his donut goes missing, and Crat looks very guilty! Their irrepressible spirit is on display throughout the book. Chris is a thoughtful character who ponders the action in thought bubbles. The Sprinkle Fairy’s actions are often presented in word art – screech, zap, pop! Readers will also learn information from the book flaps where several new words are introduced – gigantic, enormous, humongous, antecedent and homebody. Even the copyright page is amusing! Crat is upside down criticizing the dense text and detail on this page: “I hope the whole book isn`t like this page.” The final section, “A Small Play on Big Words”, provides a useful summary of all the words introduced in this book.

The Missing Donut introduces young readers to several new big words. It can definitely be used as a read-aloud for early emergent readers. Fluent readers can read it themselves. The Missing Donut is a beautifully written and skillfully illustrated book which will help young readers build their vocabulary and make the transition to chapter books.