Move It, Miss Macintosh!

by Peggy Robbins Janousky, Meghan Lands (Illustrations)

It’s the first day of school and Miss Macintosh is certain about one she isn’t going! As she snuggles back under the covers, the doorbell rings. In comes Mr. Bellweather, the school principal who assures her that all kindergarten teachers have first day jitters.

Soon, other teachers arrive to help get her out the door. Mrs. Burger, the lunch lady, makes sure she has a good breakfast; Mrs. Sketcher, the art teacher, helps her pick out clothes. Still, Miss Macintosh is anxious. What if she can’t find her class? What if no one likes her?

When she finally stands at the front of her class, she can tell that the children are nervous too. That’s when she comes up with an idea to put everyone at ease — including herself.

A perfect read-aloud to children who may be anxious about school, this book will get them laughing — and reassure them — as they get ready for the big day.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Teachers, Childrens, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2016

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many common worries on the first day of kindergarten: what if nobody likes me? What if I can't find my classroom? What if I can't open my lunch box? Even phrases like "school is not for me" and "I'm not going" are totally normal. But what if all this thoughts are coming from Miss Macintosh, the kindergarten teacher?

This book bring the "everyone's new in kindergarten" idea a little farther making the reader laugh about all this worries. I think is a great story to share with anxious future kindergartners, and even a perfect read aloud read on the first day of school as an ice breaker. Along the way the readers also meet the principal, the school bus driver, the lunch lady and many other special teachers, who in some funny way let everyone know all the amazing things that are awaiting at school. And before Miss Macintosh could even realize it, she is already loving kindergarten!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reminds me so much of my teaching days. It is spot on. Miss Macintosh gets cold feet the very first day she is expected to teach in kindergarten.

"Miss Macintosh woke up
one morning certain of two things;
1) It was the first day of school.
2) She wasn't going."

But her wise principal, Mr. Bellwether, was on to her. He assembled his staff and they paid Miss Macintosh an early morning visit. The whole ensemble pitched in to get Miss Macintosh up and running.... literally. Mrs. Sketcher, the art teacher, picked out her dress (which was rejected by the way), Mrs. Burger bellowed that breakfast was being served and Mr. Jitters coached her not to play with her food but focus. More comrades stepped up to the plate to offer their help: Mr. Comfort, the school nurse, encouraged her to brush and floss, Ms. Patience, the guidance counsellor gave her one-on-one counsel and told her everyone is new at kindergarten so don't worry, and Miss Melody, the music teacher wrapped the whole... let's-get-Miss-Macintosh-to-work experience up in a song which everyone joyfully joined together to sing.

Will her peers be able to motivate her to get to her classroom on time? What will Miss Macintosh do once the bell rings? Will she go into her classroom and finally face her students who are showing major signs of first-day stress too? Can she walk through that door and actually teach those darling students waiting to meet their teacher for the very first time? I love how the author reconciles her dilemma. It's just splendid!

The illustrations are priceless. They are so well done with vibrant colours, fabulous expressions and busy, busy antics. They are powerful enough to tell the story all on their own but thankfully they have been paired with a wonderful engaging text that makes the whole story buzz and come alive.

I highly, highly recommend this book. It is a perfect read aloud to share. It unleashes a well-kept secret (that I am sure kids will be delighted to hear) .... teachers get the jitters on the first day of school too just like them!

[Kari Doering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move It, Miss Macintosh by author Peggy Robbins Janousky and illustrated by Meghan Lands. This story starts out with big bold stamping letters that read the title of the book. The cover of the book is bright and colorful. But the expression on Miss Macintosh face is she is mad and her cheeks are red with big eyes and a grin of I am going to get you kind of grin. As some of the kids that hang out the bus windows have the look of fear their faces. This book is a hard cover book that does include a tittle page. The pictures were very bright and colorful inviting the reader to want to continue the story.The type of paper(stock) used for this book is a glossy type of paper. On most pages throughout the book as the pictures bleed from the same picture continues from one page to another. The story stated with Miss Macintosh in bed and was certain of two things. One being it was the first day of school and two she wasn't going. But she didn't have enough time to pull the covers back over her head. Principal Bellwether is at the door with the rest of the faculty. In tag-team fashion, Mrs. Sketcher (art teacher), Mrs. Burger (lunch lady), Mr. Jitters (last year’s kindergarten teacher), Mr. Comfort (school nurse), Ms. Patience (guidance counselor), Miss Melody (music teacher), and Miss Bluebird the (bus driver).
As each person had a job to get Miss Macintosh out the door and on the bus to school. She realized her shoes were not tied and did not know how to tie them as she whispered that to Miss Bluebird. As Miss Macintosh sat quitly on the bus in fear of what happens if she can't find her classroom and what if she couldn't open her lunch or what if no one liked her. Once she got to school she tiptoed down the hallway to peak in her classroom. Finally she went it and said "Good Morning Children" my name is Miss Macintosh as she goes back through her head the song all the teachers and principal tought her. Before she knew it she could here a small giggle so she just kept singing and before you knew it she was certain of two things. One it was the first day of school and two she was going to love it after all.

[Stephanie (ITakePicturesOfBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

~Disclaimer~
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is the first day of school and Miss Macintosh doesn't want to go. She goes back to bed instead. The doorbell rings and its the principal and some teachers. They have come to help her get ready for her first day of school. Miss Macintosh is nervous about being new on the first day of kindergarten. She catches the bus and rides with the teachers and students to school. When she gets to her class Miss Macintosh realizes that it's the students very first day too and they are terrified. She sings a silly song about her morning and all the students start laughing. "It was the first day of school. She was going to love it after all."
This is a really good book to read to a child that is about to go into kindergarten. Miss Macintosh's story will teach them that teachers get the jitters too. They shouldn't be afraid because it's everyone else's first day too. Everything will be ok and they will have a lot of fun. I like how Janousky turned it around and made the teacher the one that was scared of the first day of school. The way that the story it written you could just swap her for a child and it would work perfectly. Doing this adds a bit of humour to the story making a more entertaining read. I would recommend this book to children about to start school.


5/5 ⭐

[Josh Janousky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Macintosh is a Kindergarten teacher getting ready for her first day of school. The twist? She doesn’t want to go! Miss Macintosh is scared to start school, much like how a young child would be worried on their first day as well. Luckily with the help of some of her fellow teachers, who all show up at her house, she gets to school only to find out things aren’t that scary after all. I loved the silly twist of making the teacher represent the child and being scared to start school. The characters all have really clever names, like the art teacher Mrs. Sketcher, or the lunch lady Mrs. Burger. The writing style is silly and fun. I feel like the author did a great job on making the subject relatable to children!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move It, Miss Macintosh! by Peggy Robbins Janousky is the story how Miss Macintosh, the kindergarten teacher, does NOT want to go to school on the first day; she's just too nervous. But the principal and other teachers show up to give her the encouragement she needs...and when she finally makes it to school, she finds maybe her class will be fun after all.

The principal and other teachers from the school show up at Miss Macintosh's house anticipating that she will be reluctant to go to school on her first day of teaching kindergarten. They all try to help her in various ways. I loved the names of the teachers from Mrs. Burger the lunchlady to Miss Melody the music teacher and Miss Patience the guidance counselor. The other silly thing as that they all rode to school on the bus, even the principal. When Miss Macintosh arrives in her classroom she sees that all the kids are nervous and she starts to sing, making up silly words about her morning. The kids love it, start giggling and they all have a great day. The illustrations are very silly, but bright and colourful so that kids will love them. I recommend this book to kindergarten or pre-kindergarten classes to read while trying to make them little ones feel comfortable. Families could also read this to their young ones before they actually start school so that they can see everyone, even the teacher is nervous at the beginning of a new school year.

This book was great! It's such a fun twist on the first-day-of-school-jitters to have the teacher be the nervous one. Kids will relate to how Miss Macintosh feels--but also get a kick out of the fact that it's the adult who is so worried. Really cute illustrations, engaging text, and fantastic concept for a book.

I received this advanced readers copy from Annick Press Ltd. and Annick Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Willieo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book about the first day of school, with a twist. Who would have thought the teacher would be nervous?! A zany trip through the morning routine and a very satisfying ending. If you're reading this to your kids, you may want to practice the songs! :)

[Sue Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story of a teacher who doesn't want to go to school and pulls all the tricks that kids do when they don't want to go. I think kids would enjoy the turn-about idea.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if the kindergarten teacher is just as scared of the first day of school as the kids are? This story follows Miss Macintosh as she gets ready for her first day of Kindergarten.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://literallylynnemarie.blogspot....

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read for both the new student AND novice teacher as it reveals that everyone can be afraid of the new/unknown but, that with the support of their colleagues, once they engage all will work out.

[Karine Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different take on the fear of starting school for the first time. This time we see it from the teacher's perspective! She doesn't want to go to school... will the kids like her?

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story that kids can relate too. Funny, predictable twist.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fun little picture book is about Miss Macintosh's first day of school. She's very nervous but she gets lots of support from the people around her. This would be a good one to match with "First Day Jitters" which has a lot more suspense than this one. But it's a nice little book to talk about the first day of school feelings.

[Nichole Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird? At first I thought it was the Teachers dream? Why would a teacher not want to be at school? This is supposed to ease a child's fears?

My child enjoyed listening but I thought the concept was awkward

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every little kid is nervous about their first day of kindergarten, but few know that the teachers are nervous too. Miss Macintosh does not want to go to school. it is the first day of kindergarten and she is worried about it so she decides to stay in bed. The principal and other teachers decided to visit her and prepare her for the day. Helping her find something to wear and preparing breakfast for her. When she gets on the boss she begins to worry again about finding her class and other problems that might arise. This is a great book for kids who are nervous or worried about starting school. It shows that while they are nervous, the teachers are as well and the child may feel more inclined to be less nervous.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are various books out there about teachers being scared, nervous or apprehensive on the first day of school, but this on is just a little different.

In this story the principal and other teachers from the school show up at Miss Macintosh's house anticipating that she will be reluctant to go to school on her first day of teaching kindergarten. They all try to help her in various ways. I loved the names of the teachers from Mrs. Burger the lunchlady to Miss Melody the music teacher and Miss Patience the guidance counselor. The other silly thing as that they all rode to school on the bus, even the principal. When Miss Macintosh arrives in her classroom she sees that all the kids are nervous and she starts to sing, making up silly words about her morning. The kids love it, start giggling and they all have a great day. The illustrations are very silly, but bright and colourful so that kids will love them. I recommend this book to kindergarten or pre-kindergarten classes to read while trying to make them little ones feel comfortable. Families could also read this to their young ones before they actually start school so that they can see everyone, even the teacher is nervous at the beginning of a new school year.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lindsey Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

It's the first day of school and the new teacher, Miss Macintosh, doesn't want to go! It's up to her fellow teachers to help her get ready. But when she gets to school and sees that her students are also really nervous, will she be able to get them ready for the school year or will she chicken out again?

This book has some silliness to it, but it's great for helping children ease their nerves about the first day of school and to help them understand that adults get nervous too! I liked the silly names of the teachers and the special touches that the author added, like the teacher riding the school bus with the children and being worried about where she would sit at lunch.

[jess ~has abandoned GR~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the concept of the new teacher being nervous and needing reassurance, just like the students do. However, I think the book takes that theme up to eleven, and it becomes confusing for young pre-readers and future kindergarteners.

The teacher cannot do simple tasks, like dress herself, feed herself, tie her shoes, etc., and she's almost pathologically terrified of school. She is so terrified of school that the other teachers and the principal have to come to her home and dress her, feed her, and force her to get on the bus with the kids.

The best thing for anxious new students is a kind and confident teacher. This terrified adult who can barely function is the opposite.

It might be a funny read-aloud for kids towards the end of kindergarten or first grade.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Macintosh, the kindergarten teacher, does NOT want to go to school on the first day; she's just too nervous. But the principal and other teachers show up to give her the encouragement she needs...and when she finally makes it to school, she finds maybe her class will be fun after all.

This book was great! It's such a fun twist on the first-day-of-school-jitters to have the TEACHER be the nervous one. Kids will relate to how Miss Macintosh feels--but also get a kick out of the fact that it's the adult who is so worried.
Really cute illustrations, engaging text, and fantastic concept for a book.

I read a copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

See more of my reviews at http://adriennesbooks.blogspot.com/

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

MOVE IT, MISS MACINTOSH
Written by Peggy Janousky
Illustrated by Meghan Lands
October 2016; 32 Pages
Annik Press
Genre: picture book, children's, school anxiety

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.)

★★★★

It is the first day of school and Miss. Macintosh does not want to teach kindergarten. The principle and all the teachers come over and get her out of the door - dressed and ready to catch the bus. When she gets to school she realizes she may not be the only one who is nervous about the first day.

Love the illustrations in this book! I like the twist in the story where it is the teacher, instead of the student, that is nervous about attending school for the first time. It is a cute and fun story for any tot heading to school.

[Amy Lafleur Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Macintosh wakes up on the first day of school and decides that she's not going. The doorbell rings and there is the principal and a long line of school staff who are there to help her get ready for school and show her that school won't be so bad. The illustrations are cartoonish and fun. I love the absolutely worried expression on Miss Mackintosh's face and the cute little black cat who is always by Miss M.'s side. This book reminded me a lot of First Day Jitters but with a twist. Fun and creative way to help kids feel less nervous about school, because even teachers are nervous!

[Magy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Move It, Miss Macintosh! is a funny picture book about a kindergarten teacher who is so nervous about the first day of school that she doesn't want to go. The principal and her teacher friends have to encourage her and help her get moving. Can Miss Macintosh make it to school and survive her first day?

While some may say having a nervous wreck for a teacher may be disconcerting for nervous kindergartners, I think most if not all will find humor in Move It, Miss Macintosh! and identify with Miss Macintosh's feelings. It's good to know that others--even adults-- can get nervous too!

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

[Cariadne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twist on the usual first day of school story (example: The Night Before Kindergarten) except it's a role reversal where the teacher is nervous about her first day of school. I thought the concept was charming, but in reading it with my 8-year-old, she started telling me it was just like a book she read called First Day Jitters. In reviewing the concept for that book, it seems First Day Jitters did it more cleverly and with greater panache. While I did like that the school staff rushed to get Miss Macintosh ready for school, we both felt the ending could've closed stronger.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite a fun book and it will help those young children starting school to realise that they are not alone in their fears about what will happen on the first day. This book has a slight twist with the main character that doesn't want to go to school being the new teacher, Miss Macintosh. It's easy to follow and has nice images. Good for youngsters starting school but can't see it being read too many times after that.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable children't book is all about the first day of school butterflies. Except it isn't the kindergartners, it is the new kindergarten teacher, Miss Macintosh.

She has all of the troubles that her student encounter. She doesn't even know how to tie her shoes!

Move It, Miss Macintosh is the perfect book for a reluctant student, but every kid and parent will chuckle at the topsy turvy first day of this teacher

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the mom of a kindergartener and pre-kindergartener, this book was a much needed exploration for my kids on what to expect for their first day of school. From wanting the perfect outfit, being too nervous to eat, to having to remind them to brush their teeth... It's a great story to remind kids they're not alone. And it's a fun read for me too... Which is important because I'm gonna have to read this to my kids a billion times before they're ready to let go of the school worries.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the different take that this book has to first day of school jitters - the teacher is the one who is nervous! The illustrations are bright and funny. This is a great book to read with your children before they start school.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC supplied by publisher via NetGalley

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect back-to-school readaloud for littles