Scholastic Reader Level 1: Ready for Kindergarten, Stinky Face?

Stinky Face

by Lisa McCourt, Cyd Moore (Illustrator)

Stinky Face is full of "What ifs" as he gets ready for kindergarten!

It's time to go to kindergarten, but Stinky Face has a question . . .

"But, Mama, what if the sink in my classroom pours grape juice instead of water?"

As the situations grow stranger, Stinky Face's mama always has just the right answer to make him feel better.

With Lisa McCourt's zany ideas and Cyd Moore's motion-filled illustrations, this reader is sure to make every worried kindergartner-to-be a little less nervous.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Back To School, School

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

About the author

Lisa McCourt is the author of Free Your Joy: The 12 Keys to Sustainable Happiness, as well as dozens of other books about love and joy that have together sold over 9 million copies.
She's also host of the popular Joy Zone podcast and Founder of Joy School, where she's taught the secrets of joy for over two decades to thousands of learners.
Incorporating the techniques Lisa has gathered from studying with and writing for many of the biggest names in the transformation world, her trainings provide the most effective, streamlined processes available for accessing and maintaining consistent, authentic joy and inner peace—processes backed by hundreds of scientific studies demonstrating substantial increases in health, cognitive function, self-esteem, stress-reduction, and emotional competence.
Lisa's joyful passion for the power of words has propelled a diverse publishing career studded with industry awards, starred reviews, international honors, and mega-sales.
If you have kids, you might have read them I Love You Stinky Face, her longstanding bestseller that Publishers Weekly called a “modern classic,” heralded for helping parents raise unconditionally loved humans who feel secure and cherished exactly as they are. Under her own name, Lisa has penned over forty books for adults and children in addition to collaborating with industry leaders such as Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, James Van Praagh, and Sunny Dawn Johnston.
In addition to having sold over 9 million copies, her books have earned over 10,000 glowing Amazon reviews. Published by Hay House, Scholastic, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, McGraw Hill, Hierophant, HCI/Simon & Schuster, and others, her books have won publishing awards, been featured on Lifetime TV, CNN, and PBS, garnered praise from over 200 publication reviewers, and been translated into 11 languages.
On the secret side of Lisa's publishing path, she's been the silent ghostwriter for many prominent thought-leaders, from New York Times bestselling authors to Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Hollywood stars. Her clients have appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, Saturday Night Live, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC’s 20/20, The View, The TODAY Show, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and The Nancy Grace Show.
When she's not teaching through her online Joy School or through one of her many collaborative projects, Lisa enjoys time in nature with her husband and daughters, singing in Michael Beckwith’s Agape Center Global Choir, and serving her community as President of her local PFLAG chapter. She's always on the lookout for new opportunities to contribute to the elevation of love and joy for all humans.

Reviews

[Eshtar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally I wouldn't read it to my future children just because I too agree it is missing something. However I do think children who do read it would find it funny and silly but probably not the most relatable. The art inside is quite good though. :)

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cute book for a student who is nervous about starting school, especially a kindergarten student. However, I felt like it was a book meant more for a parent and child instead of a teacher and students. So basically parents, awesome book for your nervous kindergarten student. Teachers, leave it at home. There are books that are better fitting for the classroom. Otherwise, great book for reducing the "jitter-bugs" before arriving on the first day of school.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny book. A mom reassures her son that kindergarten will be fine after he keeps coming up with all the silly things that could possibly go wrong. A great book to help children relieve some of the anxieties they themselves may have about first starting school. Could also be used for predicting...

[Monalisa Johnson-brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy was starting kindergarten and he was supposing all these things could happen. He supposed that the sink had grape juice instead of water, the fish tank grew larger, or if the the armadillo starts to chose him for his macaroni dinner. His mother told him that he would rfemain himself. he would drink the grape juice and swim in the pool.

[Shelly Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay to me. It would be great for the first day of a Kindergarten class. It would allow the children to see other children have worries concerning school. It could open a discussion to see if the students had other worries about coming to Kindergarten. The teacher and students could help ease these concerns.

[Sebin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Stinky Face getting ready for his first day of kindergarten. He asks his mom all these silly questions about what might happen on his first day of school. He uses his imagination to create all his silly questions. I would recommend using this book for kids who are nervous about the first day of school and for kids who have big imaginations.

[Kiana Sims]

Personally, i would never use this book in my classroom just because it was missing something to me. I didn't understand where the stinky face part really mattered or not but it would be good for students just beginning school. It has a funny perespective to looking at the anxieties some students may face.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who is worried about his first day of school. He makes up crazy scenarios that he thinks may happen on his first day. This book is good to read on the first day of school. This book could open a discussion about the things the students thought school was going to be like for them. This book is good to read for students in grades K-1.

[Yadira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very simple book that can be used to teach punctuations and can be used for emergent readers. There are simple sentence that include periods, exclamation points, and question marks. It can also be used for the first day of school. It can be used for children who worry or have anxiety about the first day of school.

[Satin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the illustrations in this story seemed very realistic. Kindergartners would love to hear this story on the first day of school and would eventually read it to themselves throughout the school year.

[Sha-Quita Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of laughter. A mother reassures her son when he imagines silly things that might go wrong on the first day of kindergarten. I would read this book on the first day of school to my students.

[Nancy Jo Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was only just ok for me. This book will find its happy place in our collection about going back to school and easing into kindergarten. I think parents and teachers will enjoy it because of the content, but overall not a stand out book.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Level 1 beginning reader that is dialogue between son and mother about kindergarten. Humorous because he provides silly examples like, "what if the sink in my classroom pours grape juice instead of water?"

[Monique Mcdonald]

An insightful inquiring student, who has to know that everything will be okay when he starts school, as nearly every child does. This book would work for those who are starting school.

[Pynteya Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, it is funny and has cute illustrations. I would read this book for kindergarten students.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good for helping students who may worry about starting school and the unknown. Also, it shows the importance of communicating to others how you feel.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for a parent to read to a kid who has the first day of school jitters. Very funny and perfect for imaginative kindergarteners.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE the illustrations!

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, as all of the Stinky Face books are, but because of the mom's answers were very pared down, it lacked the charm of the true picture books by this team. Probably not a reread.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

My 5 year old's review: "Mom, that wasn't very good."

[Lojayn Ottman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't matter which grade you're in- every student always has concerns about the first day of school. But Stinky Face is a little girl who voices all of her concerns. Will her mother be able to answer all of her questions and get her ready in time for the new school year?

Wow, great book! Not only is it a very appropriate topic for younger readers, but the language selection was *just* challenging enough. I liked this book because the text was not consistent, which could be in other books. But in this one, it depended on which one of Stinky Face's crazy scenarios and it fit itself nicely.

What I appreciated most about this book, and the reason I awarded it 4 stars, was because there was an actual relationship between the daughter and her mother. When she asked about what would happen if the fish tank in the classroom grew so big it turned into a pool, her mother answered: "Then I would have put a swimsuit in your backpack just in case" (np). How refreshing that there is actual interaction going.

I would definitely recommend if you'd like a laugh or wanted to read to a group of new kindergarteners.