Hello, School! A Classroom Full of Poems
Preschoolers who have been brought up on Blue's Clues books and TV programs already know that everyday inanimate objects sometimes come alive with a little imagination. All kids on the verge of starting the great adventure of education will enjoy this poetic celebration of school. Author Dee Lillegard ( Wake Up House! , a perfect companion to Hello School! , also illustrated by Don Carter, and The Poombah of Badoombah ) creates playful rhymes about the many small joys of a A window "shows us if it's sunny, / or if the weather's drippy-runny, / or if the clouds are acting funny ." And "What's he hiding? / What's he about? / He needs your hand / to draw him out." Glue, scissors, wastebaskets, tambourines, swings, numbers, easels, and the teacher's desk are similarly explored. Don Carter's 3-D pictures, made with foam board, plaster, and acrylic paints, almost jump out at the reader with their thick, appealing textures and tasty-looking colors. Preschoolers will be clamoring to go to school after reading this clever picture book. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter