All Aboard the School Bus! - Let these spiffy school-based read-alouds ease you back into the first few weeks of the new school year - book review

Instructor, Sept, 2000 by Judy Freeman

Let these spiffy school-based read-alouds ease you back into the first few weeks of the new school year

WEMBERLY WORRIED

By Kevin Henkes; 32 pages; Greenwllow, 2000; $15.95. Grades PreK-1.

Spotted mouse Wemberly worries all day and night. In the bath, she worries she'll shrink. What if the hissing radiator really has a snake inside? When she's especially worried, she rubs the ears of her beloved floppy rabbit doll, Petal. Her newest worry is bigger than ever: what will happen when she starts school? Lucky for her, the astute teacher pairs Wemberly with another worrier, Jewel, and the two become instant friends. For your worrywarts who fear everything is not coming up roses, this jewel of a story will help assuage their fears. See activity box, right.

Then try...

* David Goes to School, by David Shannon; 32 pages; Scholastic, 1999; $14.95. Grades PreK-1. Just as David's mother reprimanded him for his boisterous indoor demeanor in the Caldecott Honor book, No, David! (1998), so does his teacher now need to get on his case about yelling, pushing, and other riotous, typical bad-boy student behavior.

Children will have a grand time living vicariously by writing and illustrating sequels such as "David Goes to Camp" or "David Goes on Vacation," perhaps even based on times they got in and out of trouble.

* First Day, Hooray!, by Nancy Poydar; 32 pages; Holiday House, 1999; $15.95. Grades PreK-1. As Ivy Green worries about and prepares for her first day of school, her bus driver, janitor, principal, and teacher all get ready, too.

* Off to School, Baby Duck, by Amy Hest, illustrated by Jill Barton; 32 pages; Candlewick, 1999; $16.99. Grades PreK-K. Baby Duck is nervous about starting school until Grandpa interviews her new teacher about what happens in the classroom during a school day.

EMILY'S FIRST 100 DAYS OF SCHOOL

By Rosemary Wells; 56 pages; Hyperion, 2000; $16.99. Grades PreK-1. Even the brightly colored number-filled endpapers set the numbers mood in Rosemary Wells's winsome sequential exploration of rabbit Emily's school experiences. "On the first day of school I leave my mama's arms. I am too excited to cry," she says. Her guinea pig teacher, Miss Cribbage, hands out a number notebook, telling her charges that each morning they will write down their "new number friend," and when they reach 100, they'll have a party. For each day, Emily describes how she has used that day's number. She sings "Tea for Two" on day two, teaches her little brother to play Crazy Eights on day eight, and plants 68 tulip bulbs with Grandpa on day 68. Each day includes a detailed ink and watercolor illustration, the day's number, and a genial description by Emily of her number-related activity. She makes friends, bakes cookies, misses her friend, celebrates holidays, and befriends the new girl, Angela from Australia. Number hounds will enj oy coming up with other number relationships, both well-established and personal, to record and keep in their own number notebooks. See activity box below.

Then try...

* 100th Day Worries, by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Arthur Howard; 32 pages; Simon & Schuster, 2000; $16. Grades K-2. Worrier Jessica can't come up with an idea for the perfect collection of 100 things to celebrate her class's 100th school day, but her loving family comes to the rescue.

* Timothy Goes to School, by Rosemary Wells; 32 pages; Viking, 2000; $15.99. Grades PreK-1. Eager raccoon Timothy starts school where he encounters snide, athletic, smart Claude, who almost spoils his first week of school.

HERE WE ALL ARE

By Tomie dePaola; 71 pages; Putnam, 2000; $13.99. Grades 1-4. In his Newbery Honor autobiography, 26 Fairmount Avenue, dePaola described how his family built their new house the year he was in kindergarten. Now, in the equally charming sequel, he rounds out that first school year with a lively account of family and school life in their wonderful new setting. Tomie's kindergarten memories are insightful, and often hilarious, recollections of irritating his teacher, Miss Immick, with his humming through naptime and stealing the show in the class play of "Peter Rabbit." In the long run, however, his teacher finds him smart and creative, and commissions him to make the class valentine mailbox all by himself We find out some interesting information about the author, including the fact that famous cousin, the Irish tenor Morton Downey, convinced Tomie's mother to give him his unusual spelling for "Tommy" so if the talented boy grew up to be a famous singer and dancer, people would remember his name. Finally, there' s conflict with his strict Italian grandmother, Nana Fall-River, when she stays at his house to care for him while Mom is in the hospital for a 10-day stay after the birth of baby sister, Maureen. As readable as a novel, with short, funny chapters laced with small illustrations, this latest installment will inspire children to keep track of their childhood memories in words and pictures. See activity box at bottom of page 24.