My Special Day at Third Street School

by Eve Bunting, Suzanne Bloom (Illustrator)

Overview

Here is a charming picture book about an author's much anticipated visit to a school — and what happens after she leaves.

Third Street School is buzzing with excitement. Author Amanda Drake is coming to visit! The kids have read all her books. They've hung a welcome banner in the hall and pinned drawings on the classroom walls. Then the big day arrives! And Amanda Drake is everything the kids hoped she'd be. She reads stories, cuddles the stuffed animals, and tells the kids what it's like to be a writer. Then one child comes up with an idea: "It would be really cool if you would write a book about your visit to our school." And that's precisely what Amanda Drake does! Eve Bunting's happy book, a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book, is written in playful rhyme and illustrated with zest by Suzanne Bloom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590787458
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Eve Bunting is the author of over two hundred books, including the Caldecott-winning Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz. She is the winner of the PEN Los Angeles Center Literary Award for Special Achievement in Children's Literature and the recipient of the Southern Miss Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Suzanne Bloom is the author and illustrator of the ever-popular Goose and Bear series, including the Geisel Honor-winning A Splendid Friend, Indeed, as well as many books outside the series, such as I Just Like You, The Bus for Us and A Mighty Fine Time Machine. A longtime resident of upstate New York, Suzanne is a graduate of Cooper Union and is a mother and a grandmother. Visit suzannebloom.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ "An upbeat choice for reading aloud before author visits, though Amanda Drake will be a tough act to follow." —Booklist, starred review

"Should be required reading in all schools planning author visits." —Kirkus Reviews

"Miss Drake emerges as a most approachable literary diva - a genial bohemian with electric white-and-pink hair, a kind gaze and a repertoire of dramatic gestures." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Children preparing for an author visit at school will welcome this volume. Bunting and Bloom (previously teamed for Girls: A-Z) proffer a title that actually has three meanings. "My special day" refers to the narrator, a boy whose class has invited Miss Amanda Drake, a famous children's book author, for a visit; to Miss Drake herself, who has a wonderful time with the class; and, finally, to the book that Miss Drake writes based on her Third Street experience ("We love the dedication:/ To all the kids at Third Street School/ with love and admiration"). The story opens with everyone "in a state/ of great anticipation!": "We make a list of questions/ that we'll ask Amanda Drake./ Our teacher says `Don't ask her,/ `How much money do you make?' " Miss Drake quickly has the class eating out of her hand. She regales them with an insider's look at the creative process ("It doesn't seem like work/ if you are loving what you do"), cheerfully holds the class snake and proves she's way cool by stating that she owns a pet rat. Bloom stumbles somewhat in composing her watercolors-in aiming for classroom bustle, she fails to provide a focal point for many of the pictures. But the enthusiastic verse smooths over the visual rough spots, and Miss Drake emerges as a most approachable literary diva-a genial bohemian with electric white-and-pink hair, a kind gaze and a repertoire of dramatic gestures. Ages 5-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 4-Bright, splashy watercolors grace the pages of this rhyming story about an author's visit to a school. The students' preparations, such as decorating the room and thinking of questions to ask, are described and depicted as they get ready to welcome Amanda Drake. The faces of the diverse children are individualistic and expressive, exhibiting a variety of moods and thoughts. The spreads pull readers through the action and reflect the movement and excitement of the characters. As the story ends, youngsters learn that Amanda Drake has taken a student's idea and written this very book about a school visit. Bunting presents a wonderful display of the kinds of things that can happen when good educators, interested students, and talented writers connect. Bloom uses bright colors to create a realistic and inviting setting, paying great attention to details including the teacher's desk and science projects displayed throughout the room. Just as Amanda Drake inspires the children to use their imaginations and write stories, this delightful book will encourage readers to explore their own creativity.-Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

In this fictionalized, but doubtless reality-based encounter, an author addresses a class of middle-graders, and it's all that a school visit should be. Before children's author Amanda Drake arrives, the children have read her books, decorated the school, and with their teacher's help ("Don't ask her, / How much money do you make?"), prepared questions to ask. Drake in turn, pink streaks in her flyaway white hair, sweeps in, cutting a larger-than-life figure as she cuddles the class pets, talks enthusiastically about writing-"There's something that I'd like to share / because it's truly true. / It doesn't seem like work / if you are loving what you do"-and leaves the children itching to write stories of their own. Though Bunting amply demonstrates here that writing in verse is not her forte, along with Daniel Pinkwater's hilariously flip-side Author's Day (1993), this exuberant alternative to Louise Borden's low-key The Day Eddie Met The Author (2001) should be required reading in all schools planning author visits. (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews