What to Do When You're Sent to Your Room

Every kid who ever earned a few time-outs on his or her own turf will smile at this deadpan primer—and parents may wish to take notes for future reference.

Ben is nothing if not prepared. So when he gets caught feeding his dinner to the dog (again) and is sent his room (again), he’s up to the challenge of solitary confinement. And he’s more than happy to share strategies with readers, from unearthing his cache of hidden snacks to liberating his caged pets, honing his slingshot skills — and of course drafting his birthday list. There’s so much to do! Will there be time to do it all before his time is up? That just may depend on Ben’s older brother. . .

Ann Stott is the author of Always and I’ll Be There, both illustrated by Matt Phelan. About What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room, she says, “My youngest son has spent a fair amount of time in his room. Some of the strategies in this book are based on his own.” Ann Stott lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Stephen Gilpin has illustrated more than thirty books for children, including the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk? books, written by Lin Oliver. About this book he says, “I hope I made the room look messy enough. I haven’t seen a kid’s room that wasn’t pretty darn messy.” Stephen Gilpin lives in Kansas.