Classroom Connections: Trial and Error by Robin Newman

age range: 7-11
format: chapter book
Robin Newman’s website

[A] great book about justice, clever thinking, and the smallest lawyer you’ll ever meet.
–Children’s Bookshelf

Behold! A new illustrated chapter book series about a critter lawyer. What makes this book a little different is that it’s about navigating the legal system. Like a really early law book for kids it covers things like witnesses, testimony, and evidence. Told in a fun graphic style, bring on the legalese!
–Betsy Bird, School Library Journal 

Please tell us about your book.

TRIAL AND ERROR is the first book in the Critter Lawyer Series about Sawyer the ant who is the hero of the day in case after case, each one introducing a legal concept in a fun way. Can a snail beat a speeding ticket? With the right lawyer, justice will prevail!

What inspired you to write this story?

I am a lawyer (albeit retired) and I couldn’t help but notice that there are few books about lawyers for children—especially younger children! There are books about firemen, policewomen, doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists, astronauts, construction workers, and architects. But how often do you see a book about lawyers? 

And lawyers are perfect fodder for children’s books. They’re problem solvers, negotiators, investigators, and peace keepers. 

Could you share with readers a few interesting tidbits about your writing process? 

For TRIAL AND ERROR, I started to write out little scenarios where animals found themselves in a predicament requiring the services of good legal counsel—the snail who gets a speeding ticket; the chicken who crosses the road on a red light; squirrels fighting over possession of an acorn; and last, but not least, pig brothers having problems sharing a pen. I brought these scenarios to my amazing editor, Marissa Moss at Creston Books. She liked the concept and mentioned it to the incredible Deborah Zemke who came up with the brilliant idea for an early graphic novel/chapter book format, with each chapter introducing a different legal concept. 

Since TRIAL AND ERROR is a graphic novel, I’m essentially writing a script (which for me, is a ton of fun to do!). I love writing dialogue. 

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

TRIAL AND ERROR touches upon themes of justice, fairness, and right and wrong. 

The book promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The book also includes oodles of figurative language, with puns, idioms, and onomatopoeia galore!