Teaching Mrs. Muddle

by Colleen Nelson, Alice Carter (Illustrations)

Fall in love at first blunder with a wisely foolish kindergarten teacher who makes the first day of school an experience to remember. Kayla isn’t too sure about the first day of kindergarten. What if she misses her mom? What if she can’t find the bathroom? But when Kayla meets Mrs. Muddle, it quickly becomes clear that Kayla’s problems are nothing compared to her teacher’s. Mrs. Muddle mixes up the kids’ name tags, takes them to the library instead of the gym, and can’t find the bathroom. She doesn’t even know how to use a slide properly! Clearly somebody needs to take charge. Soon Kayla is much too busy teaching her teacher to think about her own worries. Hearkening back to classics like The Amelia Bedelia collection and Douglas Wood’s What Teachers Can’t Do , Colleen Nelson will make parents, children, and especially teachers laugh out loud over Mrs. Muddle’s antics and the exasperated Kayla’s leadership. As the students find their way around the school, Alice Carter’s giggle-inducing art welcomes readers into a kindergarten class that makes the first day of school seem very appealing indeed.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

Colleen Nelson is the author of YA fiction books Finding Hope (2016), 250 Hours (2015), The Fall (2013) and Tori by Design (2011). 'The Fall' and 'Tori by Design' both won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. 'The Fall' was also nominated for the White Pine Award. Currently living in Winnipeg with her husband, two young sons and three grown step-children, Colleen manages to eke out time to write everyday, but usually in the early morning after a strong cup of coffee. A junior high school teacher for ten years before having children, Colleen is familiar and comfortable with the tricky phase of life called 'adolescence'. Now a Teacher-Librarian in Winnipeg, Canada, Colleen is constantly on the look-out for books that will catch the attention of her reading-reluctant sons.

Reviews

[Jodi Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Mrs. Muddle and all her mixups! This is a sweet book about a girl anxious about the first day of kindergarten. This book is great for all the littles in our lives who are both curious and nervous about beginning school, after school extra-curriculars, or meeting new people. Often times the fear of the unknown is really the problem and this book (with its gorgeous illustrations) gives kids a glimpse into what a typical school day looks like. And a bit of sillyness thrown in!

I give this a huge "thumbs up!" Unless I was Mrs. Muddle, then I'd give this book an enormous "toes up!"

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kayla is anxious on her first day of kindergarten, but she quickly forgets her nerves when she has to help her teacher, Mrs. Muddle. The teacher gives everyone the wrong name tags, and the students have to figure out everyone's names to give the right name tag to their classmates. Mrs. Muddle can't find the gym, and takes the students to the library instead. Kayla was worried about getting lost, but discovers she can easily find her way around school when she has to step in to help Mrs. Muddle. At the end of the school day, the children have spent their whole class time teaching Mrs. Muddle, but they have learned more than they realize.

I love this story! What a smart teacher to have the students help and figure things out as a group! I should have done that when I was teaching kindergarten. Too late now. If only I could time-travel back about 15 years and be like Mrs. Muddle.

Kayla is such a resourceful and smart little girl! She quickly takes charge, jumping in to help solve problems. I love that she has an outgoing and helpful personality. I also appreciate that each of the children in the class are diverse and from varied ethnicities.

I love the cute illustrations in this book! Each page is colorful and fun with special details in the background that bring the story to life. The art work really adds to the comedy of the story, and I love the expressions on the characters' faces. The art style looks like watercolor and crayon, which is just perfect for this type of story. Every scene in the story is a delight!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books are a great way to explain and make sense of changes or transitions in life. For children, one of their biggest changes/transitions is the start of school, aka kindergarten. There are many great books about starting kindergarten available providing many different spins on the kindergarten experience. Colleen Nelson and Alice Carter have taken a humourous look at kindergarten in their new picture book Teaching Mrs. Muddle.

Mrs. Muddle is seemingly quite confused on the first day of kindergarten. From mixing up the children’s name tags to taking all the children on a mixed up tour of the school, she does seem to be quite unqualified to teach. Throughout the day the foibles and the follies force the children to take the lead and they are having so much fun, they forget all about home and missing their parents.

Being a teacher herself, Colleen Nelson knows first hand the experiences of students on the first day of school. She wonderfully injects lightness and fun into the story to ease children’s minds about such a big change. Through Teaching Mrs. Muddle, she also offers some comfort to parents to know that their child will be having fun when they are sent out into the big wide world of school.

The illustrations are so reminiscent of a kindergarten classroom, bright and colourful. Alice Carter has also made sure to create a classroom with children of all different colours and backgrounds, ensuring that all children will be able to connect with this silly first day of school story.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youngsters love stories about befuddled teachers and first day of school tales. Older readers will quickly realize that Mrs. Muddle--love that name!--isn't muddled at all and that she knows exactly what she's doing while some younger readers may shake their heads at her incompetence. The illustrations, created with colored pencil, watercolor, and digital media depict this very cool kindergarten teacher wearing colorful tights and a headband and her young charges as they go about their day. Kayla, the story's protagonist, is more than a little anxious about the first day of school, especially when Mrs. Muddle gives her the wrong nametag. But this isn't the teacher's first rodeo, and she reassures her new charges that their parents will be just fine without them. Kayla decides to make the best of the situation and helps her teacher when she realizes that she's trying to share a picture book upside down. Poor Mrs. Muddle confuses the library for the gym and a classroom for the music room. She can't even find the bathroom and leads the children to a janitor's closet instead. By the end of the day, Kayla has had a wonderful time helping Mrs. Muddle, and she doesn't dread having to go back to school. This humorous picture book might be useful in reassuring students before the first day of class. It's clear that Kayla has leadership skills and that she and Mrs. Muddle are going to get along just fine.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful addition to first day of school collections - targeted at Kindergarten level.

Kayla is a bit stressed about going to school for the first time. At every turn in the day, she notices that her teacher Mrs. Muddle appears addled in her behavior, for example she hands out incorrect name tags, holds the book she is reading upside down, gets misoriented in the school building, calls teachers by wrong names, doesn't know how to use playground equipment correctly, or what to do if you are hurt outside. Or, is this intentional?

McFarlane has concocted a funny story about that first day of school, making all the errors that children might make to show them it is okay to make mistakes. Told from Kayla's point of view, there is a sweet innocence that rings true when she "helps" Mrs. Muddle muddle her way through the first day.

Alice Carter's mixed media (colored pencil, watercolor, and digital media) illustrations are fresh and charming. Mrs. Muddle's "hippie"-like appearance adds to the question of how "muddled" she actually is. The diverse group of children (and their parents) adds a contemporary feel. I loved seeing the alphabet featuring animals on the endsheets also used on the wall in the classroom - and for the inclusion of an anteater for "a", a narwhal for "n" and a fox for "x".

Well done! Recommended for PreSchool-grade K.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Muddle puts her nervous class at ease on the first day of school. She feigns ignorance about where the gym is, and leads the class to the library instead. She pretends not to know that the recess bell signals.
As Kayla and the other children help Mrs. Muddle, they gain confidence in their ability to find their way around the building and the master the routines of the day.
A cute story for the beginning of the school year, aimed specifically at Kindergarteners.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I loved this book and were giggling the entire time. With each page, we were trying to guess what “mistake” Mrs. Muddle would make next. Definitely a great book for first day jitters or just when you need a good laugh. Highly recommend. Thank you Colleen Nelson and Pajama Press for sharing this book with me and the Lit Review Crew.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Amelia Bedelia taught kindergarten and actually MEANT to make all those mistakes she'd be Mrs. Muddle. A sweet story about a mixed-up teacher whose constant need for redirection distracts a nervous student on the first day of school. This would be a welcome addition to most PreK/K classrooms.