Hello, School: A Classroom Full of Poems

by Dee Lillegard

Preschoolers who have been brought up on Blue's Clues books and TV programs already know that everyday inanimate objects sometimes come alive with a little imagination. All kids on the verge of starting the great adventure of education will enjoy this poetic celebration of school. Author Dee Lillegard ( Wake Up House! , a perfect companion to Hello School! , also illustrated by Don Carter, and The Poombah of Badoombah ) creates playful rhymes about the many small joys of a A window "shows us if it's sunny, / or if the weather's drippy-runny, / or if the clouds are acting funny ." And "What's he hiding? / What's he about? / He needs your hand / to draw him out." Glue, scissors, wastebaskets, tambourines, swings, numbers, easels, and the teacher's desk are similarly explored. Don Carter's 3-D pictures, made with foam board, plaster, and acrylic paints, almost jump out at the reader with their thick, appealing textures and tasty-looking colors. Preschoolers will be clamoring to go to school after reading this clever picture book. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Back To School

Paperback

First published July 10, 2001

Reviews

[Taylor Patterson]

(1 Poetry Book)
Hello School! would be a great book to read from during the first week of school. The poems are simple and the illustration is eye catching. This book would work well for younger kids because of how simple the poems are.

[Selena Richins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hello School! is a fun book to read to early readers. This book focuses on what objects, or things you can see in a classroom. For each item there is a poem describing the object and what it could be used for. This book starts off with a student entering school and saying it in a poem. Throughout the book the items are mentioned in poems. Then the student leaves the school. Everything is said in a poetic manner. This book helps bring the school experience to real life for new students. I thought this book would be fun for readers to read, or get read to. Although, I do think after a couple of times of reading this book can get boring due to not having an actual plot. I would use this book in a classroom if I were teaching Kindergartners or even first grades. I could read this book on the first day of school and have the students ask questions about any of the objects they see in the book.

[Joey Zadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

As any teacher of young children knows, sometimes it is hard just to explain to them the different procedures of school and to explain to them how everything works! Hello School! is a book that has different poems about the many different things that can be found around a kindergarten classroom! There are poems about things like the costume box, music instruments, and clay. Perhaps there are specific rules about these things in the classroom and this book could be a great way to introduce those things to new students and to later tell them about the rules that come along with these things. By using great rhyming and colorful pictures, this book of poems will help to keep the students engaged and that will likely help them to comprehend the rules and remember them. This is definitely a book I would keep around in a classroom full of young students when introducing them to new things!

[Ashley]

I thought this book was super cute! It had short poems all throughout the book. They ringed from short smile ones, to ones that were a bit larger. They talked about some of the rules of school and how your behavior should be while also talking about the many items you see and use at school everyday. I think this would be a great book to read on the first day of school to kids, or even when I am teaching them about poetry!

[Kiana Sims]

This is also another book to have on your shelf when teaching a poetry unit. The whole book is one giant poem talking about the things that happen on the first day of school. It would be a great book to read on the first day back as well. It will allow the children to make personal connections about their first day experiences.

[Paul Hankins]

A nice collection of poems about school. Could serve as a introduction to younger children preparing to attend school as an anticipatory set of what they may see and do at this thing called "school." The verse is very simple, but also very applicable to the younger set.

[Jen]

Outstanding three-dimensional illustrations. A good book for students just starting school to acquaint them with the items in and around their classroom. (Choice)

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

[Chalice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick poems with kidlike illustrations....

[JoEllen Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun is ple Poe s that help illustrate personification and more.