Miss Nelson Has a Field Day

Miss Nelson #3

by Harry Allard, James Marshall (Illustrator)

In this companion to Miss Nelson Is Missing —the classic, hilarious story of a misbehaving class—the notorious Miss Swamp returns to Horace B. Smedley School to coach their failing football team. The Smedley Tornadoes haven't won a game all year, and the entire school is down in the dumps. There's only one person tough enough to turn things around in time for the big Thanksgiving game! Your class or young reader will have a field day with this funny picture book, which its tongue-in-cheek humor and James Marshall’s simply silly illustrations. Plus don't miss the companion books: Miss Nelson Is Missing and Miss Nelson Is Back !

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Sports, Fiction, Humor, Football

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Harry Allard was an American writer of children's books. Many of his books have received awards; a few have also been banned and challenged in the United States.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her reputation precedes her. Everyone knows that Viola Swamp means business and gets results. This time she's back as Coach Swamp and she whips the Smedley Tornadoes into shape in no time. But just who is Coach Swamp? Perhaps Miss Nelson knows. A fun read with a twist at the end that deserves a double warning: The Swamp is watching! The Swamp is watching!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The students at Horace B. Smedley School were at it again! Only this time, the kids acting up weren't in Miss Nelson's Room 207, but on Coach Armstrong's football team - a team that hadn't won a single game (or scored a single point) because they refused to practice. The Smedley team were the worst in the whole state of Texas, and an embarrassment to the entire school community, from Principal Blandsworth to old Pop Hanson the janitor. When Coach Armstrong has a nervous breakdown, it falls to sweet Miss Nelson to step in - as always - and set things right! With the help of Miss - that is to say, Coach - Viola Swamp, of course...

This hilarious third and (sadly) final adventure featuring Miss Nelson and her dark doppelganger has all the hi-jinks and disguises one has come to expect from Smedley School, with a surprise ending that most readers will never see coming! As with the first two books, Miss Nelson Is Missing! and Miss Nelson Is Back , the combination of Harry G. Allard's humorous narrative with James Marshall's droll cartoon-like illustrations makes for a real winner here. If only Miss Nelson Has a Field Day weren't the final book featuring these characters!

[Kelly Timian · Rating 3 out of 5]

• This book is from a series about one special teacher named Miss Nelson. In this story, the whole school is down in the dumps including the "Smedley Tornadoes" football team. Everyone is worried about losing the big Thanksgiving game against their rivals the Central Werewolves. Coach Armstrong goes home sick with the measles and a new teacher Viola Swamp steps in as temporary coach of the football team. Miss Swamp was an expert in football and whips the team into shape. When Coach Armstrong returns from his illness just in time for the big game, he is shocked to discover how much the players have improved. They end up winning the game 77 to 3 and it is revealed that Miss Swamp is actually Miss Nelson's twin sister.

• This book has the characteristics of a picture book because each page has a large picture with just a couple of lines of text. The language is very simple but still effectively tells the story.

• This book is a good text to open a discussion about not giving up. The football team was very discouraged by the negative attitudes of peers and teachers in the school as well as their own. They had decided to give up, but all it took was one individual who pushed them to practice and work towards a goal.

• This book is probably for grades K-3. It has comical dialogue and exaggerated illustrations. There are several of books in this particular series which makes it ideal for children that prefer books that have familiarity and continuity.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, loved this book as a child. I remember reading it during the toddler years (or it being read to me) and also reading it myself several times after I was able to read on my own. I'm an adult now, but picture books still have a soft spot for me and I really love the artwork!

At the age of 33 years old, I have reread this book on Sept 3 2017. I still enjoy it and doubt I will ever not love books meant for all ages, especially books I personally grew up with.

--

Child me: 5 stars
Adult me: 5 stars

*For the first book in a "child/teen/middlegrade/nostalgic" book, I am going with the rating younger me would have gone with, then if I read on in the series, I will rate the books what adult me believes it should be rated. If the book is a stand alone, I will go with whatever rating I feel most comfortable giving the book. Please note, I do not really think books should have an age limit. People should read what they want to regardless of the intended age group, except for kids reading erotica or something, of course.*

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

To check out all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com

After the horrendous making of Miss Nelson Is Back I was apprehensive about whether I would love and enjoy this book. This book was written years after the first book was published and I believe because Miss Nelson is Missing! is iconic now that the pressure to write this book was less intense compare to the sequel. I believe the author went back to his roots and played a beautiful tribute to this children series. I absolutely loved the twist at the end of the book.

Time has passed since Miss Nelson has been a teacher and for once they actually named the school that she teaches which was a total surprise for me! She is loving the students and everything about school but unfortunately everyone around her is all depressed. Miss Nelson finds out that their football team has lost every single game and that there is no hope of ever winning one especially now that this famous Thanksgiving game is approaching.

The coach has been trying to train them but all the players act like a bunch of monkeys and fool around. So Miss Nelson takes a chance to improve the team by becoming Miss Viola Swamp. She kicks butt and makes them wish that the coach could come back and train them especially her. People are starting to take notice that Viola Swamp could be Miss Nelson but she was 2 steps ahead of everyone and brought her twin sister to appear at the same time so it can confirm that they are two separate people.

Overall I can say that I really enjoyed this series even though it is not one of my top favorite children's classics. I highly suggest if you loved the first book then to check this one out because it is definitely better than the sequel!

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Miss Nelson has a Field Day” is the third book in James Marshall and Harry Allard’s popular “Miss Nelson” series and this time, the Smedley Tornadoes football team gets some unexpected help for their big Thanksgiving game. “Miss Nelson has a Field Day” is a hilarious book that children will read over and over again for many years.

James Marshall and Harry Allard makes a great team (literally) in this third installment of the “Miss Nelson” series. Harry Allard and James Marshall make this story extremely hilarious as the football team learns the hard way about goofing off too often and how they have to deal with a stricter coach in order to get in shape for the big football game. James Marshall’s illustrations are hilarious as usual as the characters in this book have pudgy faces and small dotted eyes. The image that stood out the most was seeing Miss Swamp in an ugly black sweat suit on the back of the book as it looks unusual for her to be in sweat pants instead of her usual black dress that she wore in the previous two books.

“Miss Nelson has a Field Day” is another brilliant book from the fantastic “Miss Nelson” series that will have children be interested in the world of football and learn about the importance of teamwork and good behavior. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (Miss Nelson #3) by Harry G. Allard, illustrated by James Marshall is the third in the Miss Nelson seris. This time Miss Viola Swamp reappears at the Horace B. Smedley School in time to whip the winless football team into shape and help them win the big game. The obvious need for Miss Swamp occurs to the principal as well as Miss Nelson, so we have a fake Viola Swamp appear before the real deal shows up as Coach Swamp.

The text is funny as usual. The hilarious illustrations are as wacky as the characters. The moral - don't goof off - is humorously illustrated. The twist at the end is fun. The book is equally effective as a read-aloud or an independent read.

For ages 5 to 8, working hard, school stories, football, humor themes and for fans of Miss Nelson, Viola Swamp, Harry G. Allard, and James Marshall.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha! I was not expecting that!

This book was awesome. Probably not a great book for iterative reading because once you know what is going on it might not be as much fun, it won't have the same build up of expectation and then a perfectly timed climax of how it was all accomplished. But it was still a great book and I highly recommend checking it out and reading it to your kids at least once.

It's well written, there is nothing too complicated while the diction is perfectly balanced for children, there is just enough variation thrown in to keep it interesting and engaging. The art is truly terrible, but that is a feature not a bug. The art is bad to emphasize just how terribly the football team is playing and acting, the words and the art reinforce each other.

Story: Narrative
Art: Awful
Price: $14.95

[Ch_charonbradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, the team is led by Viola Swamp which returns to run a chill up children spines while getting them in shape for the Thanksgiving game. An unruly football team is amazed at the obedience and achievement it gains under her lead. Harry Allard puts a twist in the plot to make this third Miss Nelson offering as fresh and fun as the first. I will definitely utilize this story for grades 3-5. It is full of imagery, comprehension building and extended responses.

[Morgan Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Horace B. Smedley School Tornadoes (football team) are the worst in the state - and it is up to the infamous Viola Swamp ("the meanest substitute teacher in the world") to turn them around.

Another great book by Allard! Filled with fun and laughs. Also teaches a valuable lesson....don't ever doubt the substitute.

[Erin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the original Miss Viola Swamp. "Miss Nelson is Missing" is one of my all-time favorite children's books, so when I found this one for dirt cheap at a thrift shop, it had to come home with me. It's filled with the same campy illustrations and goofy language I enjoyed as a child.

[Matthewluke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uh oh, Miss Viola Swamp is back!!! For those of you who have read either Miss Nelson is Missing! or Miss Nelson is Back, we all know Miss Nelson is Miss Viola Swamp. Wait a minute though, because in the children's mystery book Miss Nelson Has A Field Day, both Miss Nelson and Miss Swamp are at Horace B. Smedley School at the same time!!! How could this be? Read on to find out. Miss Nelson Has A Field Day, written by Harry Allard and illustrated by award winning illustrator James Marshall will have your student's laughing and guessing at the same time. This book which is intended for any K-3rd grade class is a great choice for a read aloud and will be sure to keep your students in suspense on who Miss Nelson really is.

Miss Nelson Has A Field Day tells the story of the Horace B. Smedley School football team, the Smedley Tornadoes. The Tornadoes may be the worst football team in the state, and because of this, everyone at the school is feeling miserable. They haven't won a game and even worse, scored a single point. The Tornadoes have caused their coach to go crazy and have left their principal feeling hopeless. The players don't seem to mind though as they believe they will just keep losing. This causes Miss Nelson to worry and after seeing Coach Armstrong beginning to loose it and learning that the Tornadoes will be playing the ferocious Werewolves on Thanksgiving Day, she decides to send Coach Armstrong home for what is to become an extended leave of absence. Later on, Miss Nelson and Principal Blandsworth overhear some students discussing that the only way the Tornadoes have a chance is if Miss Viola Swamp becomes their new coach. This gives them both an idea! Miss Nelson then makes a mysterious phone call. Later on, the Tornadoes upon learning that their new coach is actually Principal Blandsworth dressed up as Miss Viola Swamp, laugh him right off the field. Wait a minute though as here comes the real Miss Viola Swamp. Miss Viola Swamp becomes the new football coach and whips the players into shape. After a lot of tough practices, the Tornadoes end up beating the Werewolves 73-3. This win gives everyone at Horace B. Smedley school the boost they needed. At the end we learn that the mysterious phone call Miss Nelson made was to her twin sister Barbara, who was filling in for her, while the real Miss Nelson was busy portraying Miss Viola Swamp.

Miss Nelson Has A Field Day can be used in the classroom as an introduction to a few new topics/concepts. The first is that of phrases. This book contains many phrases that students may be unfamiliar with. Phrases such as "down in the dumps", "lost their sparkle", "cracked up", "give him the business", "holy smokes" and "pipe down" can all be used to introduce this concept. As a fun activity, I suggest having your students guess what these phrases mean before actually telling them. Who knows what they will come up with! A second concept that can be introduced using this book is predictions. Near the end of the book (Pg. 27) we see both "Miss Nelson" (quotation marks using fingers gesture!) and Miss Viola Swamp in the school. At this point you could have your student's predict who they believe these characters are, before revealing their true identities at the end.

Harry Allard is a wonderful children's author, who besides having written the Miss Nelson Collection is also the author behind such books as The Cactus Flower Bakery and Bumps in the Night.

[Kirstin King]

"Miss Nelson has a Field Day" is a book apart of the Miss Nelson series. This time, our story follows the football team instead of a class. The team is lazy, rude, and hasn't won a game all season. The whole school is down about it, and the coach has no idea what to do to whip the guys into shape. The team won't practice, talks back, and refuses to complete their workouts. However, when a new coach steps in by the name of Coach Swamp, the team is adjusted in no time. Coach Swamp is mean, scary-looking, and super strict on the guys. By the end, they are champs who speak respectfully, work hard, and exemplify team work. As much as they love to hate "The Swamp," she is slowly able to turn the whole school around.

I really enjoyed reading my first Miss Nelson book, so was able to really get into this book as well. The way that it is written is humorous and engaging for students, and the pictures add an added layer of humor to the story. It is easy to read and simple to understand, and is overall a very quick and easy book. It uses some unique vocabulary that students might not otherwise encounter, and the students love learning the new, quirky words. Overall, this is a book that I would add to my class library as a read-aloud and a "just for fun" book for kids to read independently.

I would use this book to help teach the summarizing/ comprehension strategy of beginning, middle, and end. Since this book has a clear timeline of events and obvious plot line, I think that it would be a great mentor text for introducing the strategy. I would have students utilize turn and talks and discuss events that are happening in the book. After reading, I would then direct students towards thinking about the order of what happened int he book by asking "what happened first, or int he beginning?", "what happened next, or in the middle?", etc. At the end, students could independently write a summary about the book using the sentence stems "In the beginning..." etc.

[Tara Schloetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember really loving this book series as a child, and reading it again as an adult, I understand why. The illustrations aren’t anything outstanding, but the story is relatable and comical to kids. This would be a perfect book to use as a read aloud, because the adult can use expressive voices for the different characters who have dialogue in the book (Miss Nelson, Mr. Blandsworth, Viola Swamp). This would also be a good book for silent reading for a child, because it is an engaging and interesting story. The twist that presents itself at the very end of the book could allow this book to be used in a teaching environment as well. The setting of this story takes place in Horace B. Smedley School, with the plot focusing on the school’s awful football team, whose coach recently took a leave of absence. However, the evil substitute teacher, Viola Swamp, comes to the rescue and whips the team into shape! The Viola Swamp character could be used in a lesson about prediction, because at the very end of the book it reveals her identity, but it gives hints throughout the book as well.

[Sophie Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book to the 4 year old I nanny at the library this week and it was completely inappropriate for someone his age. Maybe my rating for the book is too low because it is not intended for his age group, but I didn't realize until it was too late.

The language used in this book was shocking for a children's book. Primarily, when I saw the word "pussyfoot" on the page my jaw dropped and I skipped over it completely. No child needs to hear that word. The book also described one of the activities that Miss Swamp made the kids do as "murder." My 4 year old does not need to learn to describe something as murder.

I shouldn't have to worry that a book we pick off the shelf at the library will contain inappropriate language or scary illustrations.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I vaguely remember the Miss Nelson books from childhood, but not this one specifically.. Miss Nelson’s schoolCollectively feels embarrassed because of their losing football team full of slackers. When the Coach has a nervous breakdown the infamous Miss Swamp arrives as substitute coach and whips the team into shape. Unfortunately I wasn’t amazed by this one. For one, I feel like kids in the age range that would enjoy this book wouldn’t relate to having a football team at school. It just seemed like an odd choice to me. Overall the whole thing feels pretty dated. My four year old did enjoy it though so maybe my assessment is off.

[Claudia Hester]

Review: This book is a great book to read with elementary aged students. It is an interesting story about Miss Nelson's successful attempt to train the Smedley Tornadoes. The football team was not listening to their coach and in response they were losing. The whole school was upset so Miss Nelson's twin sister put them in their place.
Setting: Horace B. Smedley School
Awards:
Teaching Idea: This would be a great book to read aloud with the kids. The teacher could ask them to make predictions and ask questions.
Grade: 3rd

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Miss Nelson is Missing is in our top ten children's books of all time and this one doesn't rank that high but certainly is in our top 100. We have two copies of it and if I have the opportunity I will make sure our youngest gets his own copy as well. The thing about great books like this though is I always feel a little guilty when I buy them used because I feel like we may be stealing the experience from another person and their littles by doing so. If you have children 3-7 you have to read this books to them. It should be a rite of passage.

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Miss Nelson series. Takes me back to reading them as a kid.

This edition has a cool little plot twist... How are Miss Nelson and the infamous super-substitute Miss Viola Swamp in the story at the same time?? Aren't they the same person??

The illustrations are the strength of the Miss Nelson series, and this one features a funny sign in the lunchroom, "Hamburgers Again Today," as well as another appearance by the buck-toothed principal Mr. Blandsworth. Also great are some of the character names, such as the janitor, "old Pop Hanson."

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read Miss Nelson is Missing and this one back to back because they felt so clever realizing that it was Miss Nelson being the coach. They were surprised at the end!

The story led to a good discussion about showing integrity no matter who is coaching (teaching, parenting...etc) and even in our every day work. You can go through a work out and not really work out and you can also go through a workout and do your very best....and it is the same with school work.

Sometimes the simplest stories have the best lessons.

[Mary Teske]

This short story is about a football team who is not winning due to their laziness. After a teacher disguises her sister as a scary coach, the team whips into shape. This story shows students that hard work is needed to succeed and will pay off in the long run. I would for sure read this to a kinder or first grade class. This story also has great pictures. I remember reading this series in elementary school and loved it!

[Tori Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing: 4
Art: 3

Overview: My kids, 3.5 and 5, have asked me to read this book so many times. And I enjoy reading it too! When the football team is losing bad and the coach cracks under the pressure, Miss Nelson sends him home and calls in a sub to whip them into shape - Coach Viola Swamp. The first two books I could see the ending coming, but with this one it caught even me by surprise!

Family friendly values: no red flags

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so fun. This one is about the school football team. They mess around at practice and have never won a game. Miss Nelson ses the need for Miss Swamp to return, but she's busy grading papers etc. Miss Swamp does show up and whip the team into shape and there is a twist at the end as with the first book.

[Audra PC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the school football team who has been struggling all season.

They make jokes of the coaches appearance and when coach arrives whips the the into shape.
Finally on thanksgiving the team wins.

Small dated illustrations with a few lines of texts. Good for early/young readers but didn’t really hold my kids attention.

[Ella Zig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy! Miss Nelson is back as Ms. Swamp...or is it Miss Nelson?
Find out why the football needs to get a new coach for the season?
Hint: They are giving the business to the old coach and what happens
when kids are taught boundaries.

[Stephanie Littig · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are fun books to read. The football team stinks and so does the coach so they hatch a plan to get the team to take football seriously and try harder to win the big game against their rivals. The plan works and they win. Miss Nelson is one smart cookie.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if our library doesn't have the first two books or if the chunk I grabbed off the shelf just didn't have the first two. I feel like I remember this vaguely from my childhood. It was cute and funny.

[Nouru-éddine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Coach Viola Swamp



***

What a surprise!



***

[Westin Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

When reading this book it was a cute story learning to see how one person can be so dedicated to helping others. I learned that Miss Nelson really did want the students to win the game. This was a good story to read and can be one that can be read to students out loud as a group.