Yay, Us! Pete the Cat Rocking Field Day by Kimberly and James Dean

The sun is BRIGHT and the grass is GREEN. It's a great day for ... FIELD DAY!

LAST YEAR, PETE'S TEAM CAME IN THIRD PLACE.

HE WANTS TO WIN FIRST PLACE THIS YEAR!

Pete wears his red tee, his red headband, and of course, his good-luck red shoes.

The teams line up for the first competition, the baton pass relay race. On the other team are Alligator, Marty the monkey, Squirrel and Turtle.

OH, NO! Squirrel is faster than anyone and hands the baton to Turtle, who crosses the finish line first! Pete knows that they have to try harder, and in the water balloon toss, Pete and Callie win for their team.

The teams are tied, and Pete knows that he still has a chance to earn a medal. But can Pete and his team win the next three events?

Pete's team is fired up! They win the rope pull, and Pete aces the obstacle course. Pete knows he'll get a medal if he can just win the egg-carry race.

Will Pete's hand stay steady...

Or will his nerves (and the egg) crack? OOPS!

It's a tie for the two teams, and Pete has to accept his medallion with a bit of (metaphorical) egg on his face, in Kimberly and James Dean's Pete the Cat: Rocking Field Day (I Can Read Level 1) (Harper I-Can-Read Books.

Everyone is the winner when youngsters become eager readers, and as Pete always says, "It's all good!" And everybody's a winner when the class has a great day outside and when kids can read about the games all by themselves in this winning I-Can-Read easy reader book.

OOO-LA LA LA!

Nancy Clancy and her best friend Bree can't wait for the up-coming Bubbles Party, celebrating their science unit on the wonderful things they've learned about bubbles!

But then Nancy gets horrendous news (fancy for really bad!) from Bree: she is sick and won't be back to school until Friday. Nancy is sad that her friend will miss performing in the spendiferous bubble show in the school auditorium! Her class will be demonstrating everything they can do with bubbles. It's too bad that Bree will miss all the fun!

But while Nancy is telling her family all about the Bubble Show, she gets an idea.

"SUDDENLY AN IDEA GOES POP IN MY HEAD!"

Nancy and her class rehearse their own Bubble Party play just for Bree when she gets well and returns to class!

And the kids perform a Bubble Ballet Party to entertain Bree and help her catch up with all the splendid things to know about bubbles. Bree even asks the kids to perform the whole show again so that she can blow the biggest bubble yet!

Fancy Nancy and Friends are always happy for a chance to dress up and perform, as in Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Bubbles, Bubbles, and More Bubbles! (Harper I Can Read Level 1), combining consideration for a member of the class and showing off their knowledge of the scientific properties of bubbles. With the familiar comic illustrations of artist Robin Preiss Glaser, this one is as light as a feather (er, bubble).

Left Behind Little Brother: Henry at Home by Megan Maynor

AS LONG AS THERE HAD BEEN HENRY AND LIZA, THEY WERE TOGETHER.

They got their shots and their haircuts together. They shared their special place--the twisty tree. But then one day when Liza got a new backpack and a box of unsharpened pencils and new crayons, because she was going to school. Henry was too young for school pencils and crayons.

HENRY WAS SAD AND ANGRY.

"YOU'LL GO TO SCHOOL NEXT YEAR," LIZA SAID.

Henry was angry when the bus took her away. But he decided that if Liza could do things he couldn't do, he would do things that Liza couldn't do! He learned how to start the swing swinging by himself and he invented new tricks on the swing.

He practiced until he was great at The Falcon, balancing lying on swing seat with arms outspread as he soars.

And when the bus dropped Liza off, she was full of stories about her day--making new friends and being line leader and learning the school cheer. Henry just jumped on the swing and showed off his new trick, The Falcon. Liza was impressed!

And Liza offered to teach Henry her class cheer if he'll teach her to do The Falcon, in Megan Maynor's newly published, Henry at Home (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021.)

It is hard for younger children to watch an older sibling move on without them, but it looks like Henry is going to be just fine on his own, and, anyway, they'll always have each other to share the twisty tree. Artist Alex Marley's sweet and sensitive illustrations portray a pivotal moment of childhood that navigates changes in relationships while still nurturing those ties that bind. "Says Publishers Weekly, "Younger siblings or those worried about distance weakening close bonds will find reassurance in this tender narrative."

It Could Be Worse! My School Stinks by Becky Scharnhorst

 

DEAR DIARY,

TOMORROW IS MY FIRST DAY AT MY NEW SCHOOL. MOM AND DAD TOLD ME TO TAKE DEEP BREATHS.

IT ISN'T WORKING.

His seatmate smells like a skunk! His locker mate is a croc. His teacher is a real bear. And the monkey bars are full of... MONKEYS!

The next morning he tries faking red spots all over. But his fake stick-on spots don't fool Mom.

But Wildwood Elementary is a ZOO! A beaver eats his pencils. A gorilla grooms his hair, looking for tasty bugs. Only Mr. Fuzzybottom, a mouse, is friendly. So naturally Mr. Fuzzbottom disappears under suspicious circustances.

I SUSPECT SAMMY THE SNAKE, BUT HE SAYS HE WAS STILL DIGESTING FROM LAST WEEK'S BREAKFAST.

And when our boy tries to make friends by sharing his cupcakes, Charlie the Crocodile bites his finger. But Nurse Molly gives him a bandaid and some good news:

"YOU CAN'T GET RABIES FROM A CROCODILE. I ASKED."

It's a jungle out there, in Becky Scharnhorst's latest, My School Stinks! (Philomel Books, 2021).

Our young scholar finds a way to adapt to his new school. After all, Betsy the Beaver has stopped chewing up his pencils and just sharpens them for him daily. His class job is cleaning the closet, where he finds dead bugs to trade with Sammy the Snake for all his desserts in the lunchroom.

And Mom and Dad finally believe him when they come to OPEN HOUSE!

Artwork by illustrator Julia Patton backs up the scene at Wildwood Elementary with jolly spot art that pictures the beastly goings-on, and Scharnhorst's Wildwood Elementary School tale provides an introduction to comic scary school stories like the classic The Teacher from the Black Lagoon series.

The Littlest Things: The Rescuers of Tiny Creatures by Curtis Manley

Everyone wants to help little lost puppies or cuddly kittens. Many famous people support saving elephants and rhinos and gorillas. But Roberta cares about really little things--like gnats and bees, millipedes, and spiders!

"I rescue tiny creatures. It's a special job.." A job no one else seems to care about," says Roberta.

Roberta reads books about insects and helps beetles who get stuck on their back. She saves millipedes stuck on hot sidewalks. She removes a baby snail from the radishes in the garden. She tells lost ladybugs to fly away home! But only her cat and her little brother care enough to helps her. At school, the other kids think she is just weird!

"Ms. Williams! Roberta has been picking up worms again," tattles Luis.

"Oh, Roberta, don't touch anything!" said her teacher.

"No one has ever been harmed by earthworm slime," I say, but no one hears me.

But one day when Roberta gets to school, her teacher and all the kids are crowded into one corner of the classroom.

SPIDERS!

Hundreds of tiny spiders have just hatched and are climbing up everything in the room. Nobody knows what to do--except Roberta!

Quickly, Roberta shows them how to make small origami boxes for the spiders and teaches the kids to catch the spiders and take them outside and sit the open box beside the wall at the front of the school. Immediately the little spiders head for the wall and start to climb up the wall to the roof of the school. Ms. Williams gives Roberta the job of explaining why.

"They'll stand on tippy-toes and unfurl their spider silk. And then the breeze will float them away like balloons... to new homes!"

All the kids are wowed as they watch the little spiders soar away on the breeze. Some even want to take their box of spiders to watch from home. And one girl named Maria confides to Roberta that she wants to help her rescue little animals and even bigger animals, like pandas and pangolins, polar bears and elephants.

Author Curtis Manley's latest, The Rescuer of Tiny Creatures (Roaring Brook Press, 2021), has a lot to say about the value of kids who march to a different drummer, and the value to society that such differences in interests can play, especially those interested in science, (even KRAKENS!

Artist Lucy Ruth Cummins, who did the illustrations for the popular pumpkin season story, Stumpkin, (read my review here) adds humor and empathy for the characters in this story, even the millipede, (but maybe not the KRAKEN!) Author Manley also adds an appendix with a picture glossary of tiny critters (and the Kraken) and the directions to make a small origami box with lockable lid.

Writes Publishers Weekly's review, "... both a STEM tale about insects and a lesson in staying true to oneself, as Roberta’s distinctive interest takes her from odd kid out to minor celebrity."

Super Student! Super Milly and the Super School Day by Stephanie Clarkson

TODAY IS SUPERHERO DAY AT SCHOOL.

Milly is super creative. She makes her superhero costume with a cape made with foil and red tea towel with a hole (it doesn't show), her brother's yellow underpants, and big, peel-off M sticker.

Milly's very inventive, but that doesn't mean she thinks she has real SUPERPOWERS. She knows she has no X-RAY vision. She can't leap tall buildings (or even climb up the sides of skyscrapers) and her brother Joe always beats her to the last slice of toast.

And there is already an emergency at school!

WILLIAM'S MOM FORGOT THAT IT IS SUPERHERO DAY!

He's crying in the corner. Milly knows that a real superhero would whirl up a super cloud to change school clothes into superhero tights and a cape. But she can't do that.

Instead, she has a super idea. She peels off her big M, turns it upside down, and sticks it on William's chest.

BAM!

WONDER WILLIAM!

Then Amazing Archie must have green paint for his superhero's picture, but the selfish Spider Sid won't share! Smart Milly has a super solution.

ZAP!

WE CAN MIX BLUE AND YELLOW!

Being kind and imaginative is Super Milly's superhero power, in Stephanie Clarkson's latest, Super Milly and the Super School Day (Nosy Crow, 2021).

Super Milly's special powers are just what her class needs for Superhero Day. Artist Gwen Milwand provides the jolly blackline drawings of typical tykes for this story about just the Right Stuff to save the day. This one is a good read-aloud choice for teaching youngsters empathy as well as how to think outside the box!

Stage Fright! Clark the Shark and the School Sing by Bruce Hale

Clark the Shark, the kid with the killer smile, is happy when his teacher makes an announcement.

"CLASS, NEXT WEEK IS THE SCHOOL SING!"

Clark is psyched! He begins to belt out the first line of their song, "When You're Happy and You Know It," He loves that song! Most of the class already know it, and they are soon belting it out with bravado, too!

"IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT, CLAP YOUR HANDS...."

The teacher is pleased, but then she says...

"GOOD JOB. NOW WE LEARN THE DANCE!"

"DANCE???"

And the usually confident Clark the Shark discovers that he can't sing and dance at the same time. He turns in the wrong direction and everyone else gets mixed up. Clark is killing the rehearsals and he knows it!

"WHAT IF I MESS UP?"

Their teacher tells the class just to relax and enjoy the experience. The rest of the class seems fine with that advice. But when that curtain opens on the big night....

THEY FROZE!

Can Clark the Shark come through in the clinch?

You bet your dorsal fin he can! The show must go on, in this debut of Bruce Hale's Clark the Shark's (Level 1) Comic Books for beginning readers, Clark the Shark and the School Sing (I Can Read Comics Level 1). Illustrated by Hale's comic partner, Guy Francis, this new series is sure to be a hit with the early reader set. Kids can count on Clark the Shark to save the day in comic fashion. This one is a sure-fire winner for reading aloud before that curtain opens on a real-life class program.

Just the Right Word! Wanda's Words Got Stuck by Lucy Rowland

Wanda is a little witch who has a problem with spelling--but NOT the black C-A-T kind of spelling. Wanda liked cauldrons, black cats, witches' hats and black bats, and learning to cast spells. But there seems to be a spell on her voice..

IT WAS TALKING--SHE TRIED

BUT NO WORDS WOULD COME OUT.

One day a new girl named Flo appears to join Wanda's class. Their teacher, Miss Cobweb, calls on all to make her feel welcome. All the student witches and warlocks except Wanda shout a loud "Hello!" But the shy new girl can only blush at the sudden rush of greetings. Wanda feels a kindred spirit and offers her a welcome wave and a smile. Flo thankfully waved back. No words required!

FLO SMILED AT HER FRIEND AND THEN WANDA KNEW

(THOUGH SHE NEVER QUITE SAID IT) SHE'D FOUND A FRIEND, TOO!

But then Miss Cobweb announces the annual MAGIC CONTEST in which everyone will have to perform an animal spell in front of the whole school. Wanda has that sinking feeling when she realizes that she will have to speak her spell in front of everyone. But Flo seems unworried and promises that they will practice their spells together in the park every day. Will Wanda be struck with a tongue-tied spell before an entire audience?

But in the Contest, Flo and her partner Jake go first. Wanda waits for her turn as her stomach starts to churn.

Jake conjours up a black cat and then a dog! And when the dog predictably chases the cat...

JAKE MAGICKED A... LION!

So far so good. Flo steps forward for her grand finale!

HUBBLE BUBBLE! SHE CONJURED A... DRAGON!

YIKES! When the flame-spouting dragon turns on Flo, she is totally SPELLBOUND! Not a single magic word can she speak! Of all times to have the cat get your tongue! But after all those practices in the park, Wanda knows the right spell-breaking word to save her friend....

"ALAKAZAM!"

And although Wanda's shyness vanishes like the dragon with the applause of the croud, there are times when between her and good friends like Flo...

SHE DOESN'T NEED WORDS AT ALL.

Lucy Rowland's forthcoming Wanda's Words Got Stuck (Candlewick Books, 2021) takes on extreme shyness by dealing humorously with the problem in a sensitive story useful in the classroom for the beginning of school, a tongue-tied new student, and even as a multi-purpose scary season read-aloud witch tale. With the spirited illustrations of artist Paula Bowles and Rowland's lively rhyming text, younger students will get the message that indeed words (and friendship) can have magical powers!

Conflict Resolution! The Infamous Ratsos: Ratty Tattletale by Kara LaReau

The Bully Boys are at it again. No sooner has little Tiny declared that he loves Mondays than Kurt Musky and Sid Chatterer snatch him up to toss up and down the school hallway.

"Cut it out, guys!" yells Tiny.

"Aw, he's so cute when he's angry," says Sid.

"Stop being so uptight, Crawley," says Kurt.

Millicent is moved to call a teacher, but Tiny stops her, saying that will only make it worse. Ralphie's warnings to the rowdies don't help, until at last Mrs. Beaver, the third-grade teacher steps out of her door and dispatches the two bullies to the principal's office. But now Ralphie knows he'd better watch his back.

And he's right. At lunch Sid and Kurt flip his lunch, and Ralphie has to clean up the mess while the bullies snicker. Still Ralphie is mum about the bullying around his big brother Louie, hoping to handle the problem himself. But at recess Sid and Kurt gang up on Tiny in Bombardment, and when Ralphie nails them with two balls, one after the other, he and the two bullies are all O-U-T of the game! Now, Ralphie knows he's on the two troublemaker's hit list. And when school's out, he finds his backpack in the trash can with a note:

PREPARE TO GET TRASHED!

Still, Ralphie is determined to keep the harassment to himself. Walking home with his brother Louie, he suggests they take a new way home, one that takes them by Mrs. Porcupini's, who offers them some of her hot cookies and cold milk. Just as the famished Ralphie is about to take a bite, the two bullies appear.

"Well, well, well," said Kurt, cracking his knuckles. "If it isn't our old pal, Ratty Tattletale!"

Now Louie gets what's going on and tells his little brother he should report the bullies to the principal. Ralphie refuses, on the grounds that tattling is not cool.

But when Ralphie tries to enter the arms race with Kurt and and Sid's pea shooters, things take a turn for the worst, resulting in the smashing of Mrs. Porcupini's window, and Ralphie agrees that it's time to 'fess up to their dad, Big Lou, about what's been going on, in Kara LaReau's latest in her The Infamous Ratsos series, The Infamous Ratsos: Ratty Tattletale (Candlewick Press, 2021). Choosing when to fight your own battles and when to ask for help is not easy, but in this Geisel Honor-winning series, all ends with a peaceful solution in what Ralphie calls "A smashing success." Along with Matt Myers' funny illustrations, author Kara LaReau's beginning chapter books offer comic considerations of those real-life early school days problems for developing readers.

Two By Two! At the Zoo by Beth Johnson

"Let's go to the zoo!" said Mrs. Hall.

Her group of first graders is eager to go. The school bus, with a sign saying To The Zoo, is ready to load.

At the gate to the zoo, Mrs. Hall gives them the plan for the day. She warns them not to go anywhere alone.

"Stay with your buddy!"

Together the kids move into the avian display, where Jasmin and Kendra do a good job of staying together. At the elephant compound Derek and Victor notice that the elephants are staying together as a baby elephant gets a shower bath from the trunks of two adult elephants. At the big cats exhibit, the kids spot a family of lions hanging out together. They move on to another exhibit.

"Look! Monkeys are not alone!" said Mrs. Hall.

Two monkeys wave from a branch at the kids. Everywhere they see animals two by two and three by three or  even more staying together.

And nobody gets lost on this field trip to the zoo, in Beth Johnson's At the Zoo, an early first-grade reader from the set The King School Series - First Grade Collection (60 books) (Townsend Press),

With an easy-going word count of 64 and plenty of visual cues among the drawings by Mark Weber, a diverse group of first graders take one of those "can't-miss" field trips in early childhood education. Books in the King School Series feature both Kindergarten and primary grade pre-reading and early reading primers for emergent readers. Good for classroom prep for a field trip, and for children whose classes are on-line, this book gives them an idea of what a zoo field trip is all about.

Not THAT Class! The Class from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Who knows the fear that lurks in the heart of teachers before the first day of school?

It's the first day of school and I have a class coming in one hour. I heard that they put their last three teachers into early retirement!

The scuttlebutt in the teachers' lounge is that they all have two noses--the better for picking. They are world class at making spitballs... and excuses.

"My grandma ate my homework!"

They love art supplies, especially snacking on the crayons and colored chalks. But their best talent seems to be making noise.

They only come to school when they have contagious diseases.

They enjoy art and writing, but only on their desks!

Mrs. Green suits up in her crash helmet and all the protective equipment she can borrow from hockey goalies. She's as ready as she'll ever be! Finally her class enters the classroom.

WOW! They are all cheery and each one has only one nose!

Her jolly pupils greet her with flowers and apples. Some of the apples have several bites out of them already, but who's counting!

And another school year begins, in this one from the teacher's side of the desk, in The Class from the Black Lagoon (Cartwheel/Scholastic) in Mike Thaler's monster hit series beginning with The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, illustrated in appropriately wild kid-pleasing style by artist Jared Lee, also well known for his silly, scratchy illustrations for Lucille Colandro's seasonal staples, There Was An Old Lady series. There are plenty of titles in this popular and hilarious series to keep kids reading through summer vacation.

Brainy Bookathon! Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk by Megan McDonald

"Brains! Take that! You're dead, Fred Zombie!"

"I'm not dead! I'm un-dead!" said Voodoo Zombie.

Stink and Webster were playing Attack of the Knitting-Needle Zombies when Fred Zombie's eyeball fell off.

Only one more week!" said Stink.

"Till what?" asked Judy Moody, poking her head in Stink's door. Sometimes she was a Nosy Parker!

"DUH! The Midnight Zombie Walk!" said Stink and Webster together.

And it's a Zombie-craZy week for Stink and his big sister Judy Moody and all the kids at Virginia Dare Elementary School. The whole school is having a monster readathon, going for one million minutes of reading, to be celebrated Friday at a Zooper Zombie Bash!

ZOMBIES INVADE BLUE FROG BOOKSTORE THIS SATURDAY 9 P.M.
Book Release Party for Nightmare on Zombie Street, Book 5
MIDNIGHT ZOMBIE WALK

Between totaling up their minutes of reading, the kids have a zombie-licious week. "Everything in Zombie starts with Z," said Stink, er, Zink, to Webzter." So Stink and Webster try to raise some cash to buy Book 5 of the Zombie zeries by having a Blowout Yard Zombie Sale and a Zmellatorium Ztand on their front sidewalk. Stink and Webster turn Stink's ventriloquist's dummy into Charlie Vampire, and Mrs. Moody appears, dressed in bloody-hand printed apron as the school Zombie Lunch Lady, to dish out servings of Scrambled Brainz (eggs) and Soppy Toes (mini-franks in red sauce) in the renamed school "Vomiteria;" and the two pranksterz scare the witz out of Judy with their talking Charlie Vampire, while the third graders sponsor a definitely un-dead Read-Aloud-athon for the first graders on Friday.

In Megan McDonald's Zombie-riferous Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk (Candlewick Press), there's a strong plug for the joy of reading and hardly a moment without a zombie giggle, in this title in the author's best-selling series of beginning chapter books for young readers. "Gross, creepy, and hilarious, zayz Booklizt.

The Challenge! Ella McQueen Kickball Queen by Beth Mills

Ella rules the playground.

She's the kickball queen whose kicks cannot be caught--not the Boomer or the Zinger, and definitely NOT the BOMB!

But one day there's a new girl at school who takes to the field and dares to get under one of Ella's kicks and shouts...

"I'VE GOT IT!"

RIYA PATEL, THE NEW GIRL, IS RACING TOWARD THE FALLING BALL!

The booming ball knocks her down, but she holds onto it.

Ella is OUT.

While all the kids crowd around Riya to congratulate her, Ella loses it right there by the plate.

"NOT FAIR!" SHE CRIES.

EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT HER.

And then the recess bell rings. Ella knows she's broken the first rule of sports: Don't Be a Bad Sport.

And the next day, when Riya deftly fields Ella's best bouncer and tags her out, Ella is mad and then sad. But finally... She slowly walks up to Riya.

"GOOD CATCH!" SHE SAYS.

Winning is great, but Ella is lucky to learn those great truths of games and life: You win some and you lose some, and its corollary, "Wait till next time!" Ella gets it that if you choose to play, it's how you face that challenge, how you play the game, that makes sports possible. In Beth Mills' new Ella McKeen, Kickball Queen (CarolRhoda Books, 2019), her all-star girl recognizes that Riya's challenge makes her game better, and Ella is already planning how to sharpen her Zinger for her next time at the plate. Says School Library Journal, "Emotions ring true in this relatable story."

Hero Reader! MIGHTY READER and the Big Freeze by Will Hellenbrand

The bus driver closed the door.

Hugo looked for an empty seat.

All he saw was a pack of unfamiliar pooches.

But new-pooch-on-the-bus Hugo is in luck. When he finds a place to sit, he finds that his seatmate, Barkley, is both friendly and an eager reader. He shares his favorite book, The Adventures of Mighty Reader, and passes along the good news:

"You picked a great day to start. We're having a substitute teacher and an author visit today."

Their substitute, Mr. Wulff, introduces Hugo, shows the class a book, Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story a hot-off-the-press book by their visiting author, and chooses Barkley to read the visiting author's book, which is--Spring is Here: A Bear and Mole Story.

But then the unthinkable occurs! Barkley the Bulldog has a total BOOK BRAIN FREEZE!

But PRESTO-CHANGE-O! Little Hugo the Hound suddenly morphs into a caped crusader--MIGHTY READER. He reminds Barkley that he's read other books by the same author. He advises him to observe what's happening in the illustrations on each page and look for words he knows. And then, the big book freeze is on meltdown, and Barkley speed reads through the WHOLE BOOK, acting out the pictures and reading with great expression like a true SUPER READER!

Barkley is just taking a bow when the visiting author arrives--a shaggy dog bearing a bunch of story books by the famous writer and illustrator--Will Hillenbrand, who admits some of his secrets:

"There are many ways to make a story, but for me the pictures always come first. Oh, I hit bumps along the way. Mistakes often help me see how to make my work better."

Barkley checks out all of Hillenbrand's books!

"I don't think you can have too many favorite books."

Author-illustrator Hillenbrand uses comic-book-style panels and speech bubbles to promote reading (and to plug a bunch of his books) in his latest, Mighty Reader and the Big Freeze (Holiday House, 2019). With over 70 books under his belt, this new one by Will Hillenbrand is the perfect choice for author visits and Library Week events, along with good advice for the reluctant or novice readers out there who could use a little superhero assistance in morphing themselves into power readers.

Gotta Go for the Bus!! Even Monsters Go To School by Lisa Wheeler

Frankenstein is clean and neat.
His jacket's new. His shoes are sweet.
He finds a chair and takes a seat.
Even Frankie goes to school.

Even little Vlad Dracula is envious of Frankie's Chuck Taylor kickZ, complete with rivets all around their elevator soles. But all the little monsters are stylin' on the first day of school!

Little Dragon's wearing pink bows, and Mummy's fresh wrappings are spotlessly white. Yeti's hair is neatly parted, and Vlad's fangs are well brushed. They can't wait!

Little aliens snack on their big box of crayons and squeeze School Glue on their heads so everything they learn will stick.
And one little three-eyed extra-terrestrial has THE  T-shirt that every kid envies this year:

MY PARENTS
WENT TO
AREA 51
AND ALL I GOT
WAS THIS
STUPID T-SHIRT

With both eager and reluctant scholars among her little monsters--Bigfoot, Giant, Yeti, and Troll as well--noted author Lisa Wheeler's latest, Even Monsters Go to School (Balzer and Bray, 2019), makes the case that youngsters can expect fun and friendly faces at school. This sequel to Wheeler's Even Monsters Need to Sleep helps young readers tackle the normal trepidations they all share about school, and along with the Wheeler's jolly quatrains, the comical acrylic illustrations of artist Chris Van Dusen, filled with plenty of humorous monster tropes, makes for a happy bit of bibliotherapy for those reluctant scholars out there. After all, as Mo Willem's new book for the school-bound season points out, even The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! (see review here).

Of Wheeler and Van Dusen's latest, Booklist's reviewer says, "Everything about this romp is cheerful and reassuring, and readers will be happy to know that school is for everybody including little monsters just like them."

Bugged! Something Is Bugging Samantha Hansen by Nancy Viau

It started last fall on our class trip to Slippery Stone Cave. I was being extremely helpful to our cave guide, and That Kid Richard said I was a science freak and had rocks in my head. But Todd Kensington stuck up for me. I decided right then that Todd would be my boyfriend one day--in a few years when I was allowed to have a boyfriend. But then Kelli invited Todd over to her house. I got so mad at Kelli.

Kelli and I don't stay mad for long. She's been my friend since kindergarten. Best friend. But since Christmas vacation, she's only been over twice. She has not been best friend material these days.

The rocks in Samantha's head have been displaced pro tem by the next science unit--insects--but her relationship with Kelli is not exactly buzzing. Kelli has started dance lessons and has been as busy as a bee with her ballet friend Ling. But, not surprisingly, at school Samantha finds a new obsession, not fractions and percentages, but bees--and on an outing to a local apiary with her grandfather, she is dismayed to learn that the owner is planning to sell out and move away. Her angry stomping around gets her in trouble with her mom, who is starting a new job and her teenaged sister Jen, thinks she's a big baby to make a fuss over a bunch of bees.

But her teacher, Miss Montemore, is sympathetic, and That Kid Richard Frey, who does have cute dimples, helps her start their class Bug Club.

But dimple-faced boys are not important now. What I need is a friend. A best friend. Someone who wants to hang out with me. And if that someone liked science, that would make the second half of fourth grade fifty-million percent better.

Samantha finds a science friend, her classmate Kat, who also loves science and is very funny besides, and Kat joins her in forming a club and heading up their campaign, Save The Bees. Before she knows it, she's Samantha Hansen, Entymologist, and President of the Bug Club, the science kids organize a demonstration, complete with Save the Bees posters and articles in the local newspaper.

The apiary is saved, with a surprising new owner and there is clearly more nature science and best friends in Samantha's future, in Something Is Bugging Samantha Hansen (Schiffer Publishing, 2019). It's not as if Samantha Hansen has exactly lost her love for rocks. She's not fickle, but in this humorous sequel to Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, (see review here) she's playing the field, that is, the field of beehives at Orchardville Farm, learning about beekeeping, and perhaps a little about juggling emotions and controlling her temper with her best friends (plural) and potential far-in-the-future boyfriends. Samantha Hansen is a delightfully lively and honest character in this forthcoming funny and down-to-earth realistic fiction book for middle readers.

First-Day Strategies: How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan

Teachers get first-day jitters, too!

You're ready for the first day of school.

But what about your teacher?

It's true. After all, there's only one teacher and lots of kids in her classroom.

YOU can hide behind your new notebook or the kid with big hair in front of you, but you can bet everyone is staring at your teacher!

With August comes an epidemic of school-days anxiety, and it may be time to revisit author Jean Reagan's and illustrator Lee Wildish's classic how-to manual for kids, How to Get Your Teacher Ready (How To...relationships) (Alfred A. Knopf. 2017) that should help banish butterflies in the tummy for teachers and students alike.

A great big smile is always a good beginning. But first things first....

Whisper, "I know where the bathroom is if you ever need to know."

Give your teacher a few hint or two about getting in good with the lunch ladies that'll encourage generous helpings.

Give her something special, but definitely not...
An ice sculpture for her desk...Or an already opened box of chocolates!

It's going to be a long year. To give the teacher something to look forward to, tell her about the good times to come--like Field Day (bring sunscreen), Zoo Day (don't forget the naked mole rats), and even the Last Day of School (with spontaneous hugs).

Artist Lee Wildish creates a classroom of cheerful moppets to keep the new teacher busy from the first day of school and right on through the year. Kids with first-day worries will be cheered by this classic by Jean Reagan, author of How to Babysit a Grandpa (How To...relationships) and How to Babysit a Grandma (How To...relationships).

Share this one with Julie Danneberg's best-selling tale of teacher anxieties, First Day Jitters (Mrs. Hartwell's Classroom Adventures) and the favorite Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.

Star of the Show! It's Show and Tell, Dexter by Lindsay Ward

"It's me, Dexter T. Rexter!
Guess what tomorrow is?

IT'S SHOW-AND-TELL DAY!"

Dexter is a toy dinosaur who thinks he's all prepared for the big day. After all, a toy that is chosen to be taken for show-and-tell at school is super special.

"If things go well, I'll get super-special-keep-forever status.

Dexter is a singing toy dino, and and when little Jack pushes his button, Dexter's "Stomp through the swamp, Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!" has always been a hit.

But the stakes are so high! And suddenly Dexter starts to fret that he'll fail at being the star of show-and-tell. Maybe he needs to perk up his act! He tries out cutesy costumes. Pet Bunny? (Wrong tail!). Elvis Imitator? (Too fakey!) His imitations fall flat. His routines are ruinous!

What if Jack doesn't think I'm cool enough?

The pressure is building!

Dexter is a T. WRECK!

Will Dexter T. Rexter give it the old school try? Will he be the star of the show? You betcha, in Lindsay Ward's latest installment in her series, It's Show and Tell, Dexter! (Dexter T. Rexter) (Two Lions, 2018).

For kids whose courage quails on show-and-tell day, author Ward has cleverly made Dexter the stand-in alter ego for the usual worry-wart of show-and-tell time, the actual kid, and Dexter's kid Jack's advice, "Just be yourself," goes down well as the premise for this school story. Ward's illustrations are bold and big and jolly, making this one a worthy partner to her earlier Dexter T. Rexter book, Don't Forget Dexter! (Dexter T. Rexter Book 1).

Love's Labour Lost! Mirabel's Missing Valentines by Janet Lawler

Mirabel was very shy.
She'd always been that way.
She trembled at the thought of
giving valentines away.

Still, little mouse girl Mirabel hand-colors her modest little missives, cutting out red hearts and carefully printing good wishes on them. Stashing them carefully in her schoolbag, she spends a restless night worrying about approaching her classmates at school. She doesn't want to go, and she's moving rather slow. But at last she's on her way.

But unknown to Mirabel, there is a hole in her bag, and one by one her Valentines slip out and blow away in the brisk breeze.

But even unintended random acts of kindness have consequences. Each card finds someone who needs it. A lonely old woman whose mailbox is empty smiles at the heart-y card. A construction worker finds a red card with a kind sentiment. One finds its way into a baby buggy pushed by a dutiful dad. Even a garbage man, surrounded by the stinky smell, finds a card that wishes him well.

But then Mirabel discovers that her bag is empty:

"I've lost my Valentines!!" she cried aloud.

The card recipients have a moment of truth.

They hurried up to Mirabel.
"Your cards have made us smile.
Thanks for sharing them with us,
if only for a while."

Seeing how her Valentines have unintentionally brought happiness to their finders, Marabel gets it: Valentine's Day is not about her. It's all about giving. All's well that ends well, with Mirabel enjoying exchanging cards at school and returning home with more heart-filled cards than she gave away, in Janet Lawler's Mirabel's Missing Valentines (Sterling Books, 2019).

Adults forget what an angst-filled day at school Valentine's Day can be. Kids worry that they won't get any Valentines, or that they won't get one from a special person. And for the truly shy, even the act of giving Valentines is fraught with anxiety. But bashful Mirabel learns a little lesson about what giving--and receiving--means in a heart-warming rhyming story with an understated theme of what this overblown and sometimes silly holiday still says about the art of giving.

Hail and Farewell! Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3 by Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan

A great sigh from Room 3 echoed down the halls of Mayflower Elementary.

Mrs. McBee had just told her class that she would not be returning after summer vacation.

Even the lunch ladies are upset, but Mrs. McBee's class is overwhelmed.

"You won't get to see me again!" said Jamaika.

"Nothing will ever be the same without you!" William said.

The idea that their teacher is going away hits the whole class hard. But Mrs. McBee doesn't make light of the situation. She gathers them all in a last circle.

"Children, this is what is called a bittersweet moment. It's like swirly ice cream--happy and sad mixed together."

Wisely, she pulls out her clipboard, passes out hardhats, and gets them busy clearing the room for its summer cleaning. The take-charge queen, Jamaika, directs the class in taking down posters and mobiles, packing up books, music instruments, supplies, and labeling each box. Everyone pitches in, all except one. William sits sadly alone in the thinking corner.

"William's not helping!" Jamaika complained.

"Give him some time, honey," said Mrs. McBee.

But William is not in evidence as the desks are duly emptied and the boxes are busily taped shut. The kids stop and look around the room. The stripped-bare room is all sad and empty, as if they had never been there. Their classroom is gone!

"I can't remember what it used to look like!" Jamaika cried.

But William makes a covert re-entrance as the custodian trundles in a large storage box labeled TO MRS. McBEE.

And inside the box is William, with some momentos that will help everyone remember their whole year together, in Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan's Mrs. McBee Leaves Room 3 (Peachtree Publishers, 2017). This end-of-year story captures the "sweet sorrow" of saying farewell to a beloved teacher and to a unique time for all of them that will never come again.

All through our lives a school year with a certain teacher, beloved or not, is a powerful time-capsuled memory, and author McLellan sweetly catches the emotions of a happy-sad moment in childhood. With just a few deft lines she portrays the individuals in the class and the wisdom of their unusual and seasoned teacher. Artist Grace Zong individualizes Mrs. McBee's varied and engaging kids in endearing illustrations that perfectly set off the story of one of life's inevitable goodbyes. This charming picture book, with William's carefully crayoned drawings of their room, their class, and their year is perfect for last days or as a gift to a special teacher.

For preschoolers and Kindergartners, there is also Joseph Slate's great Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten.