A Bad Case of Stripes is a book by David Shannon

David Shannon

David Shannon is an American author and illustrator. He was born in Washington, D.C but grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design and now lives in Los Angeles. Arguably his greatest achievement in life is the 1998 winning of the Caldecott Honor for his No,...

 published in 1998 by Scholastic Press

Scholastic Press

Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...

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Plot summary

A girl named Camila Cream loves lima beans but doesn't want to eat them because she wants to fit in. One day she wakes up to discover stripes on her body. Her parents then call the doctor, who then issues his verdict: she can still go to school. Unfortunately, once there, the other kids taunt her by calling out colors so that her color changes. She is then sent home because the faculty is worried the stripes are contagious.The doctor also bring in other doctors to examine the case. He gives her bitter pills to take before bed. However, after taking a pill, she wakes up to find herself transformed into a pill! The doctor calls in experts, and by this time, Camila is recognized by the media as the "amazing transforming kid". When the experts talk to each other, thinking if its a virus, bacteria or fungus, the infections said grow on Camilla, and this continues until Camila's face is not recognizable. When a spiritual counselor confronts Camilla, telling her to "become one with her room" she does exactly that, and melts onto the walls of her bedroom, taking control of the bed and two picture frames as her face. Then, an old woman visits her and offers her Lima Beans. At first she rejects, still feeling self conscious, but before the woman leaves she has second thoughts. The lady then throws the beans inside her mouth. The walls then swirl and Camila forms into a girl again. Camila then vows that she will always be herself.

Edition

• Blue Sky Press, 1998, ISBN 0-590-92997-6 (hardbound)
• Scholastic, 2004, ISBN 0-439-59838-9 (paperback reprint)