Every story starts somewhere. For Mr. Krippet, the illustrated children’s book by veteran educator Emma L. Sembly, it started on an autumn stroller ride through the park, when a twenty-two-month-old asked a simple question. Here, in Emma’s own words, is how Mr. Krippet came to be.
In Emma’s words
“Aunt Emma!
Do you hear it?
I hear a krippet.”
It was my turn to take my twenty-two-month-old fraternal great-nieces on their daily stroller ride through the park near their grandmother’s house. It was a balmy autumn day, and I had been looking forward to taking them on an “adventure” in the park. I could never predict what new perspective they would bring into my consciousness. Children have a way of doing that, don’t they? Some minor thing that we adults take for granted appears magical and mysterious to them, and their wonderment often reminds grownups not to take the ordinary miracles of living for granted.
The girls, being twins, were just learning how to enunciate words so that others could easily understand them. But their private twin language had not prevented them from exploring and expressing to everyone their discoveries of the world around them.
So, when Sierra questioned if I had heard what she identified as a krippet, she was very intentional about confirming a particular sound, among all the other sounds that we had identified as we explored the surroundings. We had parked their stroller, and the toddlers had freely moved about. They pointed to and commented on the leaves, weeds, flowers, and grass, honking geese, various twittering birds, rocks, dirt, pebbles, and the stream nearby. Therefore, as peaceful as it was that afternoon, the air was full of the sounds produced by the collective natural community.
Sierra had distinguished a sound that she attributed to a krippet. I never saw the source of the sound, but she was resolute. Her sister, Sienna, absolutely agreed. I had my suspicions, of course. (You, too?) But his true identity remains one of life’s great mysteries, and that, Dear Reader, is a very good thing.
From the park to the page
That afternoon’s mystery became Mr. Krippet, the most industrious, well-mannered, and well-respected member of the meadow. Known for his magnificent tenor voice and his skill as a shoemaker for the ants, he spends the warm months singing, working, and making friends. But winter is coming, and Mr. Krippet has nowhere to live and nothing stored away to eat. Will he make the baker’s acquaintance, and earn a place by the fire, before the first snow falls?
Brought to life by Lesley Scoble’s charming illustrations, with a foreword by poet Zaneta V. Johns, Mr. Krippet is a gentle read-aloud about kindness, hard work, planning ahead, and good manners. Its enriched vocabulary and rhythmic voice make it a favorite for bedtime, classrooms, and libraries.
What readers are saying
“I am enchanted by this simple and beautiful tale. With lush descriptions of the meadow and lovely portrayals of those who inhabit it, Emma L. Sembly takes us on a loving journey to a warm and cozy finale.” — Marjorie A. Schenk, Voice Artist
“Educationally, I liked how Ms. Sembly very gently pushes an enriched vocabulary through descriptions of characters and settings… Mr. Krippet is a great book for the elementary library as well as for a child’s personal library.” — Kirk P. Mullen, Retired School Psychologist and Reading Teacher
