Jane Clark Brown

Marvin's excitement about first grade quickly dwindles when his name doesn't appear on the list and the class is short one desk. Add to that the fact that he struggles to read, well, it's clear that he's just "one too many." Things improve when Marvin's parents find out what is going on and his father shares his difficulty learning to read.

The year that Marvin made a handsome wreath as a present for his parents, they decided to leave it up after the holidays. By spring, even though it was brown and no longer very attractive, the wreath had become home for another family. And so it stayed even longer – making it Marvin’s best Christmas ever. As with other books about Marvin, readers will see themselves in his likable character.