In honour of the First Day of School this week, here are some great books about life in the classroom.
1. Miss Nelson is Missing!, by Harry Allard – Age: 4 +
A very funny story about the most feared substitute teacher ever – Miss Viola Swamp! Sequels include Miss Nelson is Back, and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day. (This title on amazon.)
2. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes – Age: 5 +
Lilly has a dispute with her adored teacher over a distracting plastic purse. (This title on amazon.)
3. Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary – chapter book – Age: 5 +
A chapter book about a rambunctious girl’s first adventures and misadventures in kindergarten. (This title on amazon.)
4. Math Curse, by Lane Smith – picture book – Age: 5 +
By the author and illustrator who brought you The Stinky Cheese Man, this is all about math anxiety, or seeing the world as an endless series of perplexing number problems. As a picture book, it would certainly entertain the kindergarten crowd, but older kids will ‘get’ more of the math concepts and jokes. (This title on amazon.)
5. Matilda, by Roald Dahl – chapter book – Age: 6 +
Precocious reader Matilda starts school and helps her favourite teacher battle the villainous principal. A darker tale of school life, with truly despicable adults and some violent scenes. In other words, typical Dahl. (This title on amazon.)
Rarest Kind of Best 