Luna Lovegood,
who first appeared in the Harry Potter series in the fifth book, is one
of my favorite fictional characters. She’s completely eccentric, and
she has no shame in expressing her individuality. That’s not to say that
she goes around knocking the “normal” kids all the time. No, she just
happens to be a girl who is very comfortable with who she is, and for
those who are willing to risk losing face by seeking her company, she
offers not only loyal friendship but a sense of validation for whatever their own quirks might be.
Camilla Cream, the conflicted young protagonist of David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes,
sadly lacks Luna’s self-assurance. Like so many other children of a
certain age, she is desperate to fit in, which leads to her denying her
own tastes and interests. Trying so intently to mold herself into the
sort of person who will appeal to all of her classmates at once only
immobilizes her, leaving her frozen in indecision and soon afflicted
with a disease that reflects her mindset.
The books begins,
“Camilla Cream loved lima beans.” As lima beans are one of the top foods
stereotypically viewed unfavorably, this is a striking statement. It
seems a little strange. And Camilla, all in a tizzy over what to wear
her first day of the school year, does not want to seem strange, not
even a little bit. So she hides her love of lima beans from her
legume-despising classmates, just as she hides anything else that might
make her different. And then she wakes up and finds herself a
rainbow-colored spectacle.
In this book, Shannon weaves a
simple but clever cautionary tale. When Camilla, after staying home from
school to allow time for a doctor to examine her mysterious
dermatological condition, heads back to class, she finds herself a
chameleon of sorts, changing colors and patterns at the slightest
suggestion from other students. Deemed a distraction and confined to her
home, she feels helpless as her condition worsens, exacerbated by the
efforts of any number of alleged experts. It takes a simple dose of
common sense from a kindly old woman to let her really understand the
problem and see what might cure it.
The story is written in an
appealing, accessible manner, but it’s the paintings that so vibrantly
demonstrate her predicament. On one page, she lies in bed, forlorn,
sucking on a thermometer as her skin gleams all the colors of the
rainbow. On another, as befuddled doctors in white suits poke and prod
her, one can just make out her expression of consternation amidst all
the odd multi-colored patterns that now cover her. When the bizarre
ailment reaches its most nefarious phase, she is scarcely recognizable,
gazing sadly at the television report of the mayhem outside her house as
branches and tentacles sprout from her skin.
Camilla Cream
could seriously use a Luna in her life, and she does find a role model
in the self-expression game, albeit one who’s had many decades of
practice. Shannon’s fable has a valuable lesson for all who would seek
to hide behind conformity. It comes highly recommended, especially for
school libraries and classrooms where new cases of stripes that are not
quite so transparent are popping up all the time.
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