  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/20/2013 PreS-Gr 1—As the first day of school approaches, Oliver, a timid boy dressed in an oversize woolly sweater, isn't feeling very brave. He takes an alligator to school with him "in case things get rough." When he meets his teacher and she asks his name, all Oliver can say is "Munch, munch!" The alligator conveniently swallows her. Inside the classroom, Oliver finds a lot of noisy kids who make him nervous. He wonders if they will fit inside his alligator. To his relief, they do. Alone in the quiet classroom, he waits for school to begin, but then he hears singing and laughing. Inside the alligator, the teacher and the other kids are having school. Without him. Once again, Oliver says, "Munch, munch," so he can join in the fun. The gentle pastel illustrations are infused with appealing school-related details and add humor to the story. The helpful alligator becomes rounder and rounder as Oliver tries to cope with his fear. The pink-cheeked little boy and his classmates are simply sketched but brimming with individuality. Young readers who are about to begin school will identify with the hero of this quirky story. For a more reassuring, family-centered look at first-day jitters, try Toby Forward's What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School (Clarion, 2004) or Lauren Child's I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (Candlewick, 2004).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 Little Oliver is so nervous about starting school that he takes along an obliging alligator, “just in case things got rough.” The boy is quickly overwhelmed at school when “a lady who wasn’t his mom” asks him his name, so he tells the alligator, “Munch, munch!” and down the alligator’s hatch goes the teacher. When a fellow classmate introduces herself, Oliver wants to reply but can only manage, “Munch, munch!” and the girl goes the way of the teacher. This process is repeated with the remaining students until Oliver is alone with his (now extremely rotund) reptile. “School is maybe kind of a little boring,” thinks Oliver, until he realizes that it’s happily going on without him, inside the alligator. With a final “Munch, munch!” Oliver joins his class, and the final spread shows him apparently not inside the alligator at all, but running to join his classmates at play. (A small picture on the closing verso reveals the alligator, a stuffed toy, tucked into Oliver’s bed.) This is an entertaining guide to the topic of school anxiety, and many children may feel empowered by the thought of a protective alligator pal who can simply swallow up any slightly scary obstacles. Schmid’s simple, succinct text perfectly partners with his modestly elegant art, in which carefully composed pastel pencil drawings are colored digitally using a minimal palette of soft pastels. Share this in the days leading up to the start of school or in those first few days in the classroom. JH - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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