When her beloved kindergarten teacher goes on maternity leave, Mabel gently guides the substitute to be a better teacher and finds a future career.
Her absent teacher’s influence is evident throughout, as Mabel continually uses the lessons Mrs. Ampersand has taught the class to cheer up her classmates, calm them down, give pointers to the new sub (Mrs. Windbag), and help shape behaviors. For example, when Albert starts making “mouth noises“ to mock the new teacher’s name, Mabel points out that he’s disappointing Mrs. Ampersand, who taught them “to be kind to every living thing.” And after patiently listening to Mrs. Windbag drone on about natural gas (!) for over an hour, Mabel asks to change the topic and teaches everyone about bats (spurring Albert to check all the bat books out of the library). Hunt’s brightly colored illustrations portray a diverse classroom of students and teachers (Mrs. Ampersand is black, while Mrs. Windbag is white, as Mabel appears to be as well). Though all the students exhibit great body language and expressive faces, Mabel is the only one with personality. The riffs on Mrs. Windbag’s name—and its insulting nature—may largely go over readers’ heads, but adults will chuckle when she pulls out her bagpipes and talks about a hot air balloon ride.
Amply demonstrates that kindergarten lays the foundation for life, both in the lessons learned and in the opportunities presented. (Picture book. 4-6)—Kirkus
Description
Mabel Beecher loves Kindergarten. And she loves her teacher, Mrs. Ampersand, because she's funny and smart and makes the class work hard, but brings Popsicles every Friday if everyone really tries.
But then Mrs. Ampersand announces that she's leaving for the rest of the year because she's going to be having a baby.
Mabel is not happy. Especially because her new teacher, Mrs. Windbag, is so boring. And she doesn't bring the right snacks. And she's not very good at reading out loud.
So Mabel thinks about what Mrs. Ampersand would do. And she starts leading the class. There's a lot to learn in Kindergarten, even for Mrs. Windbag.
And by the end of the year, Mabel is certain she's going to be a great future teacher!
Cari Best's delightful new picture book introduces a clever, determined new heroine, and celebrates the power of learning, however old you are.
Reviews
When her beloved kindergarten teacher goes on maternity leave, Mabel gently guides the substitute to be a better teacher and finds a future career.
Her absent teacher’s influence is evident throughout, as Mabel continually uses the lessons Mrs. Ampersand has taught the class to cheer up her classmates, calm them down, give pointers to the new sub (Mrs. Windbag), and help shape behaviors. For example, when Albert starts making “mouth noises“ to mock the new teacher’s name, Mabel points out that he’s disappointing Mrs. Ampersand, who taught them “to be kind to every living thing.” And after patiently listening to Mrs. Windbag drone on about natural gas (!) for over an hour, Mabel asks to change the topic and teaches everyone about bats (spurring Albert to check all the bat books out of the library). Hunt’s brightly colored illustrations portray a diverse classroom of students and teachers (Mrs. Ampersand is black, while Mrs. Windbag is white, as Mabel appears to be as well). Though all the students exhibit great body language and expressive faces, Mabel is the only one with personality. The riffs on Mrs. Windbag’s name—and its insulting nature—may largely go over readers’ heads, but adults will chuckle when she pulls out her bagpipes and talks about a hot air balloon ride.
Amply demonstrates that kindergarten lays the foundation for life, both in the lessons learned and in the opportunities presented. (Picture book. 4-6)—Kirkus
