Mr. Stropes reads Cowardly Clyde by Bill Pete

This recording was made for Walnut Grove Elementary School students who are out of school due to the corona virus outbreak. The story of Cowardly Clyde is one of the most special pieces of my childhood. When I was in elementary school, I checked the book out so often that the school librarian told me, “Jon, you need to check out another book.“ So I went and grabbed the other copy she had on the shelf. She called my mother that night and said, “I think you need to buy Jon this book.“ The first time I read Cowardly Clyde out loud to a classroom, it was my son’s kindergarten class. It was such a meaningful and poetic moment for me, I nearly lost my composure at one point. It makes me so happy to be able to share Bill Peet’s stories with so many kids in my role at Walnut Grove Elementary. If you’re watching, I hope you enjoy this enormously! Author and illustrator Bill Peet grew up in Indiana and graduated from Herron College of Art & Design — the same art school I attended. After college, Peet became one of Walt Disney’s early character designers and writers. He worked on almost every Disney animated film from Snow White & the Seven Dwarves in 1937 through the Jungle Book in 1967. After Walt Disney died, Peet wrote and illustrated over 30 children’s books.