Review by Booklist Review
Nervous about starting kindergarten, a boy decides he needs to take all kinds of things with him just in case: his bear, books, paints and an easel, cookies for himself and for all his new friends, and a change of clothes. And what about his sandbox and his swing set? I think I'd better get a truck / to haul my stuff to school. Accompanied by clear, energetic illustrations, the simple, playful rhyme expresses every kid's fear and excitement about leaving home. Young listeners will enjoy the wild exaggeration and feeling superior as the boy packs up more and more, and they'll recognize his big step forward when he leaves his stuff at home and boards the school bus all by himself.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A youngster puts together a lengthy list of school supplies for his first day in Off to Kindergarten by Tony Johnston (Angel City), illus. by Melissa Sweet (Carmine). Singsong couplets and watercolor washes outlined with pencil pair to show the boy's eagerness to be well-prepared as he gathers a pillow, cookies and milk, toys and even his swing set; his mother soon sets him straight, assuring him that "Your teacher will have everything." (Cartwheel, $9.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 9780-439-73090-7; July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-In first-person verse, a young boy preparing for kindergarten decides to take along his teddy bear, snacks, books, art supplies, and a host of other objects. His mother informs him that his teacher will have everything he needs. Just before mounting the school bus, he exclaims, "I leave my piles of stuff at home./I sing out, `Doodle-eeeee!'/I'm off to kindergarten now,/And all I take is-ME!" While the premise of this tale is on the mark, the verse is sometimes strained and awkward as Johnston seems to select some words and phrases solely for their rhyming capacity. Sweet's full-page pencil and watercolor drawings are fresh and childlike, but they can't make this title competitive with the plethora of starting kindergarten books available.-Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
