The World's Best Class Plant

by Audrey Vernick, Liz Garton Scanlon, Lynnor Bontigao (Illustrator)

Overview

An irresistible picture book about a boy and his classmates who long for a class pet, but discover the joys and rewards of nurturing a class plant.

Room 107 has a cockatiel. Room 108 has a chinchilla. Even the Art Room has a bearded dragon. But in Room 109, Arlo's classroom, there is a plant. A mostly green, hardly growing, never moving plant. Even though it doesn't squeak, whistle, or whimper, Arlo’s teacher says the plant is “more than enough excitement for us.” But what could possibly be exciting about a plant?

One day, Arlo decides to name the plant Jerry. Something about naming the plant makes it more exciting. As the class learns to take care of Jerry, he starts to grow . . . greener and longer and twistier. And before long it's clear that something amazing has taken root in Arlo's classroom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525516361
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/30/2023
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick have collaborated on three previous picture books: Five Minutes (That’s a Lot of Time) (No, It’s Not) (Yes, It Is), which was one of NPR’s Favorite Books of the Year; Bob, Not Bob!; and Dear Substitute. Liz is the author of numerous beloved picture books, including the Caldecott Honor book All the World, and Audrey has written more than twenty books for young readers, including the critically acclaimed Brothers at Bat. Visit Liz at lizgartonscanlon.com and Audrey at audreyvernick.com.
 

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/26/2023

A “mostly green, hardly growing” spider plant provides classroom 109 with a lesson about keeping an open mind in this amiable botanical picture book by Vernick and Garton Scanlon. Student Arlo, portrayed with tan skin, feels disappointed that his teacher insists on flora for a class pet, but the whole class’s perception of the potted pet’s merits shifts with the bestowal of a name: Jerry. Soon, everyone is wild about the leafy subject, and Bontigao’s realistically cartooned digital art playfully demonstrates the kids’ growing care and fascination, building to a festive schoolwide Jerry Appreciation Day. As the year progresses and then wraps up, the teacher (whose name has meaningfully shifted for Arlo from “Mr. Boring” to “Mr. Perfect”) offers a fitting send-off, and the narrative concludes by jumping forward to the next school year’s classroom, where Arlo’s growth is tested by another unlikely “pet.” The child’s transformation from disengaged to open-minded offers an encouraging picture of students blooming intellectually and emotionally through care. Plant info concludes. Ages 3–7. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The World's Best Class Plant:
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices Selection


* "Laden with humorous charm, this wise, beautifully written story delivers some plant knowledge, fosters empathy for a living thing, and promotes cooperation . . . This book will genuinely grow on readers." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A 'mostly green, hardly growing' spider plant provides classroom 109 with a lesson about keeping an open mind in this amiable botanical picture book . . . An encouraging picture of students blooming intellectually and emotionally through care." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This laugh-out-loud, earnestly lovely picture book about a class plant who grows into his full potential is a must-read—preferably aloud—for classrooms and young readers who might be skeptical about plants . . . This is an adorably fun read with great classroom appeal and just the right amount of real plant information to keep kids interested in the humor and fun but still leave them intrigued by plants. The soft realism of Bontigao's illustrations, naturally full of lots of greenery, brings in the eye and will keep readers moving around the page to discover new joys." —Booklist

"Scanlon and Vernick bring humor and an ear for the dialogue of elementary-school classrooms to this lively text . . . Bontigao brings a diverse group of students to these pages and captures bustling elementary classrooms with details and precision." —The Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 2023-02-25
A plant implants itself upon students.

Color Arlo and his Room 109 classmates bored. Unlike the pets in neighboring classrooms, their plant mascot does nothing. It barely grows. The plant seems so insignificant that the kids sometimes forget to water it. Their teacher Mr. Boring (“not his real name”; in a riotous turn, he’s assigned various aliases over the course of the story) claims the plant is “more than enough excitement for us.” Oddly, when the plant is named Jerry, he does become exciting, and the kids solicitously tend to him. Even stranger: Jerry gets greener and longer, eventually requires repotting, and acquires an identity. Jerry’s a spider plant, meaning he produces “little baby Jerrys,” aka spiderettes. Soon Room 109, with “Mr. Patient’s” approval, plans a “Jerry Appreciation Day” with costumes, snacks, and activities. This news goes viral, other students ask to trade their class pets for Jerry, and the whole school attends. Laden with humorous charm, this wise, beautifully written story delivers some plant knowledge, fosters empathy for a living thing, and promotes cooperation. The colorful, clean-lined digital illustrations burst with energy. Arlo and his teacher are brown-skinned; the students are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This book will genuinely grow on readers. Don’t be surprised when kids clamor for a plant of their own. (so you’re ready to raise a plant of your own...) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews