No Frogs in School

by A. LaFaye, Églantine Ceulemans (Illustrator)

Overview

Bartholomew Botts loves pets—but his teacher, Mr. Patanoose, says No Frogs in School!
So what will happen when Bartholomew’s beloved creatures meet up with Mr. Patanoose’s rules?

Lots of FUN!
 
Hoppy pets, hairy pets, scaly pets: Bartholomew Botts loves them all. And he doesn’t want to go to school without one. Unfortunately, when Bartholomew brings his brand-new frog to class, his teacher, Mr. Patanoose, declares: "No frogs in school!" How will Bartholomew keep his animal friends close at hand . . . and follow Mr. Patanoose's rules, too?

Illustrated with energetic and humorous artwork, this back-to-school story will be a favorite with every animal-loving kid!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454926986
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	08/07/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	634,658
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Alexandria LaFaye is best known for her Scott O’Dell Award-winning novel Worth, as well as the IRA Teacher’s Choice picture book Walking Home to Rosie Lee and the critically well-received novels The Year of the Sawdust Man (a flying-start debut with Publishers Weekly), Nissa’s Place, The Keening, Water Steps, and Stella Stands Alone. She lives in Greenville, IL.

Eglantine Ceulemans attended the Emile Cohl School of Art. Her work, including the bestselling Fun Family series by Isla Fisher, has been published in France and abroad. She lives in Paris, France.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Bartholomew's pets are his best friends. Pets with hair, pets that fly, pets that have scales: no animal is unwelcome in Bartholomew's home. In fact, the boy loves his pets so much that he can't bear to leave them behind when he has to go to school. Mr. Patanoose, Bartholomew's teacher, is not thrilled and starts instituting new rules. First, "No frogs in school." Next comes, "No salamanders in school. No frogs, toads, or tadpoles. Nothing born in the water that grows up to live on land. Keep your amphibians at home." Each day, Mr. Patanoose bans another pet from coming back until, finally, Bartholomew has a brilliant idea that is sure to make his teacher and his entire class happy. His bunny can be the class pet! Young readers learn a bit about different animal categories and their habitats. The illustrations are filled with colorful characters and fun details. VERDICT An engaging story to for back-to-school storytime or for young pet lovers.—Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN

School Library Journal

2018-05-14
Bartholomew's love for his pets extends to the classroom, much to the dismay of his exasperated teacher, Mr. Patanoose.Bartholomew can count a great many species of animals as pets: a goat, dogs, a snake, birds, fish, a spider—he has them all, and a few more in between. Each day of the week Bartholomew brings a different pet to school. On Monday, after he brings in Ferdinand the frog, Mr. Patanoose says, "No frogs in school." So on Tuesday, Bartholomew brings in Sigfried the salamander—after all, a salamander is not a frog. Amphibians are then banned. On Wednesday Bartholomew brings in Horace the hamster (not an amphibian), leading to a no-rodents rule. Bartholomew continues skirting Mr. Patanoose's rules until finally he decides to donate Rivka the rabbit to the class so that the adorable gray bunny can be everyone's pet. This charming story uses repetition and humor to cleverly share information, as Bartholomew, a brown-skinned boy with black curly hair, uses his love for and knowledge of animals to find loopholes in Mr. Patanoose's increasing list of rules. The cartoony illustrations are a colorful mix of watercolors abundant with vibrant yellows and pale greens. In the depiction of Bartholomew's multicultural classroom is one notable misstep, as it includes a black girl with plaits sticking up all over her head, harkening unhappily back to the Little Rascals' Buckwheat and other pickaninny stereotypes. Visual stumble aside, each page lends itself to an energetic seek-and-find storytime that promises new discoveries upon multiple reads. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews