My New Teacher and Me!

PreS-Gr 2—On the first day of school, Billy's curmudgeonly teacher reprimands him. "You! Young man! Why's that filth on your shirt?/You can't come in my classroom all covered with dirt!" Billy engagingly explains that while digging to China before school he found a dinosaur skull and had no time to clean up. Unimpressed by Billy's imaginative tale, Mr. Booth listens in disbelief as the boy, much to his classmates' delight, spins more "highly unlikely" stories, involving two-headed cows, his grandfather's walk on the Moon, and a fantastic island vacation. Billy refuses to admit his tales are untrue, saying, "I'll bet every great thinker and leader we've got/Could see all kinds of things other people could not!" Mr. Booth sends him to the principal's office, but as Billy heads for the door, a photo slips from his book. It's a gift for the teacher. Staring at the picture of Billy with a two-headed cow, Mr. Booth relents. Happy to have avoided the principal, Billy realizes that he and Mr. Booth will get along just fine and will learn a lot from each other during the school year. Written in clever rhymes, this second title starring amiable Billy has eye-catching watercolor, pencil, and digital acrylic illustrations. The fun-filled spreads add hilarious and imaginative details to the story. Pair this entertaining book with Ella Hudson's Hudson Hates School (Frances Lincoln, 2011).—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA