A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School...

by Davide Cali, Benjamin Chaud

Overview

A boy has some amazing excuses for being late for school in this “fantastical tale . . . A whimsical romp” (School Library Journal).
 
First, some giant ants stole breakfast.
 
Then there were the evil ninjas, massive ape, mysterious mole people, giant blob, and countless other daunting (and astonishing) detours along the way to school. Are these excuses really why this student is late? Or is there another explanation that is even more outrageous than the rest?
 
From Davide Cali and Benjamin Chaud, the critically acclaimed author/illustrator team behind I Didn’t Do My Homework Because . . . comes a fast-paced, action-packed, laugh-out-loud story about finding the way to school despite the odds—and the unbelievable oddness!
 
“Chaud’s signature cartoon illustrations delight with eccentric and humorous details on every page.” —School Library Journal
 
“A series of hilariously surreal situations.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“Highly entertaining.” —Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452140728
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	44
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 11 Years

About the Author

Benjamin Chaud is a well-known French author and illustrator of more than 60 books, including the New York Times Notable Book The Bear's Song and I Didn't Do My Homework Because . . . He lives in the southeast of France.

Davide Cali is an illustrator, cartoonist, and children's book author. He has published more than 40 books, including I Didn't Do My Homework Because . . . His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He lives in Paris, France.

Editorial Reviews

01/12/2015
The scruffy-suited, shaggy-haired boy from I Didn’t Do My Homework Because... is back, and he has more excuses ready for his teacher, this time regarding why he’s late for school. His circuitous, belief-defying story involves being attacked by ninjas (their wild gestures make them resemble Matisse dancers), being abducted by mole people, wandering in and out of a few fairy tales, and tooling around in the president’s private jet. His remarkably patient teacher takes this all in stride, but Cali and Chaud give the boy (and readers) the last laugh, proving the adage that truth can be stranger than fiction. Ages 6–9. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A series of hilariously surreal situations."—Kirkus Reviews

"A series of hilariously surreal situations."—Kirkus Reviews

"A series of hilariously surreal situations."—Kirkus Reviews

"It's not until the clever turn on the last page that readers realize just how brave and truthful the boy narrator has been all along."—The Boston Globe

"It's not until the clever turn on the last page that readers realize just how brave and truthful the boy narrator has been all along."—The Boston Globe

"It's not until the clever turn on the last page that readers realize just how brave and truthful the boy narrator has been all along."—The Boston Globe

"Delightful.. a valuable addition for all libraries."-School Library Connection

"Delightful.. a valuable addition for all libraries."-School Library Connection

"Delightful.. a valuable addition for all libraries."-School Library Connection

"A whimsical romp."—School Library Journal

"A whimsical romp."—School Library Journal

"A whimsical romp."—School Library Journal

"Imaginative high jinks, highly entertaining."—Booklist

"Imaginative high jinks, highly entertaining."—Booklist

"Imaginative high jinks, highly entertaining."—Booklist

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
K-Gr 2—The young hero of I Did Not Do My Homework Because…(Chronicle, 2014) is back, this time with inventive reasons why he was late for school. The fantastical tale has it all—giant ants that steal his breakfast, a ninja attack, an encounter with Yeti and Bigfoot, invading aliens, and many other unlikely escapades. A clever twist at the end involving a time machine and dinosaurs imparts unexpected credibility to the boy's story. The plot might be somewhat tenuous and the series of events seemingly random, but nonetheless are true to how a child's runaway imagination might work. Chaud's signature cartoon illustrations delight with eccentric and humorous details on every page, the expressions of the protagonist's canine companion especially silly and fun to follow. VERDICT Best suited for a personal perusal or one-on-one sharing due to its small format, this book will appeal to fans of Cali and Chaud's previous work as well as those who appreciate a whimsical romp.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

2015-01-10
In the grand tradition of John Burningham's John Patrick Norman McHennessy, the Boy Who Was Always Late (1987), a tardy lad spins exciting if unlikely excuses to a skeptical teacher.Considering that giant ants ate his breakfast, and then, among other distractions, he was assaulted or kidnapped on the way by ninjas, mole people, elephants and "a sea of scary majorettes," had to help sort out a milling mass of sheep and ducks, almost forgot his backpack and accidently rode his uncle's time machine back to the age of dinosaurs, it's not so surprising that he's a bit late. In manic cartoon illustrations, Chaud propels the disheveled but determined student through a series of hilariously surreal situations—fetching him up at last in school, looking shocked that his teacher (who hasn't caught sight of the dinosaur leaning in at the window) doesn't believe him. Wouldn't you? She may have cause, though, as he had already spun a similar skein of yarns in the preceding I Didn't Do My Homework Because… (2014). A well-traveled premise, but like all of its ilk, a fertile source of inspiration for similarly dilatory students. (Picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews