Ollie's School Day

Starred review from July 15, 2012
An interactive look at a young boy's school day teaches those new to school about routines and manners. Calmenson, a former kindergarten teacher, savvily encourages the youngest listeners to chime in and be part of the reading process, inviting them in from the very first page: "Would you like to read an Ollie story?" From there, the text takes on a question-and-answer format, with three outlandish questions followed by one realistic one. For school today, will Ollie put on "A bathing suit?...A space suit?...A police officer's uniform?" Each of these questions is punctuated by a "NO" in large and colorful type. A page turn asks, "Will Ollie put on pants and a shirt, socks and shoes? YES!" Readers are sure to catch the pattern and relish shouting out the answers...after they finish giggling at the silly scenarios, which Carter plays up in her watercolor vignettes and one-page spreads. Ollie is an adorable, rosy-cheeked, blue-eyed blond who ping-pongs between the mischievous imp who practices playing the kazoo during storytime and the perfectly mannered little boy who teaches readers how to behave when meeting friends, answering a teacher's questions, and getting ready to go home. And when he does get home, he finds not a whale, a juggler or a robot waiting, but someone who loves him. Will this be a popular and raucous first-day-of-school favorite? YES! (Picture book. 3-6)

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October 1, 2012

PreS-K-Madcap cartoons embellish a series of questions about a young boy's day at school. Will Ollie's breakfast be a bowl of bubblegum, fishy-flavor ice cream, a sour pickle, or a bowl of cereal? From waking to story time, riding the bus and coming home, children are offered three amusing options at each juncture, followed by sedate reality. Calmenson cleverly ends the day with Ollie being met at home by "someone who loves him," accommodating an audience's variety of after-school greeters. Carter's watercolors play with the text and add hilarity with wee portraits like a fish wearing boots and a squirrel lounging under a beach umbrella. This gentle tutorial in school behavior effectively employs call-and-response to engage listeners.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
In this engaging question-and-answer book, readers follow Ollie as he prepares for school. Kids are asked straightforward questions, such as how Ollie will get to school. What follows is a series of potential answers paired with silly illustrated vignettes (will Ollie row a boat, ride a giraffe, or hop backward?); a page turn reveals the correct choice (he'll ride the bus).

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)