Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607002594821 | Picture Books | BOTTNER | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Imagine a preschool classroom with 25 cranky kids and one beleaguered teacher.
It only takes one small annoying act from Adelaide to set off a chain reaction of bad behavior. Dexter is drooling, Flora is fuming, Jasper is jeering, Kirby is kicking . . . and before you know it, Stella is stumbling, Todd is tumbling, and Winthrop is weeping. Oh, oh, oh!
What will it take to turn this annoying day around? Readers will be amazed and amused to see what happens when Adelaide . . . apologizes.
Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley follow up their bestselling Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) with this outrageously funny alphabet book that shows that kindness can be contagious, too.
Author Notes
BARBARA BOTTNER studied painting in Paris, worked as a set desinger, toured as part of an acting ensemble, and made animated shorts for Sesame Street before turning to writing and illustrating children's books. She is the author of more than 36 books, including Miss Brooks Loves Books! (and I Don't) and Bootsie Barker Bites , illustrated by Peggy Rathmann.
MICHAEL EMBERLEY has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1979. He has more than 20 books to his credit, and he has a sister and father (Rebecca and Ed) who also make children's books. His hobbies include bicycle racing, bike riding, cycling, mountain biking, and avoiding driving.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Miss Mabel's class roll includes an alphabetical assortment of children's names. Readers meet each child in consecutive order, unfortunately engaged in a domino effect of unneighborly behavior. "It was a quiet morning until. Adelaide annoyed Bailey. Bailey blamed Clyde. Clyde cried. Dexter drooled on Eloise. Eloise elbowed Flora. Flora fumed," etc. The great chain of misbehavior culminates in Adelaide's head-to-toe soaking, having been "zapped" by Zelda with a hose. Everyone is astonished, and, finally, everyone apologizes. Emberley keeps the action rolling along with his horizontal chain of charismatic youngsters, set against long white pages and illustrated in his sketchlike pencil-and-watercolor style. He has a knack for portraying each child's emotion in all its precocious intensity. Touches of whimsy, such as Adelaide's tiger costume and Miss Mabel's floral tank top over cargo shorts over polka-dot leggings ensemble, keep the whole crew endearing despite the chaos. Each letter is highlighted by a colored box, but a swiftly moving narrative that practically demands the insertion of a few sound effects during read-aloud broadens the appeal of this ABC beyond mere concept book. While storytime audiences will appreciate this well-paced tale, individual children may wish to slow down and take a closer look at Emberley's spunky classmates than a large group reading would allow. Fortunately, the whole effect is much more pleasing than annoying.-Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Anyone who thinks life is a breeze for abecedarians should check out this knowing and very funny primer from Bottner and Emberley, whose previous pairing resulted in the wonderful Miss Brooks Loves Books! (And I Don't). The book describes, in alphabetical order, a chain reaction of unpleasant and unfortunate behavior. "It was a quiet morning until... Adelaide annoyed Bailey. Bailey blamed Clyde. Clyde cried. Dexter drooled on Eloise. Eloise elbowed Flora," and so on until the action comes full circle with Zelda, pushed to the edge by a clumsy Yves, "zap[s]" Adelaide with a hose. Is there any hope for this living alphabet of woe? Yes, thanks to Miss Mabel, the savvy, supportive teacher whose name puts her smack in the middle of it all. Expertly implementing a chain of apologies, Miss Mabel achieves the classroom equivalent of a State Department peace accord: a tranquil story hour (the featured book is Miss Brooks). Bottner's deadpan, minimalist text inspires Emberley to some terrific portraits in extremis-this isn't just an alphabet book, it's an encyclopedia of kindergarten deportment, from aggression to zealotry. Ages 2-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.