Very enjoyable and reader friendly. Children relate to the situation, especially with the current pressure of standardized testing by the state agencies. Children love the ending... Friends are more important then testing results...

..."First Grade Takes a Test” is an excellent, multicultural book that should be in every elementary classroom, especially Kindergarten thru 3rd grades...For it’s use in demonstrating that the really important things in life aren’t measurable, and even as a tool for helping students understand and interpret poorly worded questions (and there will always be a handful of them on any standardized test), the book is invaluable. Highly recommended from this early childhood teacher.

My kindergarteners love this story about Jim and his supportive First Grade friends. The simple language is appealing (and not babyish!) The book also underscores the role ( positive and negative)a teacher plays in developing the child's self-esteem. It's a favorite!

This delightful story has many connections for middle schoolers as well as younger students. The older set can very quickly relate to a teacher that has convinced him or her that (s)he "can't". It is a favorite and the students love the illustrations as well as the realistic dialogue. I use it often in class and at home; it is also a frequently requested, quick, but potoent read-a-loud. A human twist to The Little Engine That Could AND a loud statement to any adult who lead a child to believe (s)he couldn't ...

This is a great book for preschoolers about making friends. I thought the scenario was very similar to what many preschool children encounter when they enter a group of strange children and try to make friends. Jim wonders who will be his friend in his new school (which could also be a daycare); some early encounters with other children are disappointing, but eventually he forms a bond with another boy. This book can help three to five year olds anticipate social situations at school or child care.

For over thirty years, this book has answered one of a young child's most important questions about starting school: will I have any friends? Walking to school on the first day with his father, that's the question Jim asks. His father smiles down at him and says, "I think you will." Jim's a little intimidated at first. "All the boys were making noise. All the girls were laughing. Where was his friend?" Like my two oldest kids, Jim stands at the edge of the action and waits for someone to invite him to join in. It takes awhile. He hasn't found his friend by snack time. He hasn't found his friend by rest time. Where is his friend? After rest time, the boy who was lying down next to Jim shows him a toy truck. Jim promises to bring his toy gas pump. He's found his friend! I wish my parents had shared this is a straight-forward, slice-of-life story with me when I was a shy three year old starting nursery school. It wouldn't have made me more outgoing, but it might have made me a little less nervous.

What a cute book! I think that most young children would enjoy this book even if they didn't like camping. It is adventurous and keeps you curious. I think that girls would especially like this book because it shows that girls can be campers too and that they don't have to be afraid of the animals or anything else for that matter! By reading this book I think that children would have less fear of camping.

Margaret is in the third grade class where all the students are her friends excpt for Tommy. She is determined to make him her friend also, but Tommy doesn't like Margaret.

He says, "Anything Margaret can do, I can do better."

Then they have to work together to come up with an idea for the school carnival to see which class can earn the greatest amount of money to buy gym equipment. So, they work together on the idea and later become friends.

Charlie The Tramp is a terrific story about a beaver (Charlie) who wants to pursue his boyhood dream of becoming a tramp. He says that tramps just tramp around all day, enjoy the good life, and sleep in fields with daisies (or in a barn if it rains). His parents are haltingly indulgent of his dream, while his grandfather harrumphs around with "That's what it's like these days... little beavers want to be tramps..." comments. He eventually "comes of age" one night as a trickling stream keeps him awake and he spends the night building a dam. The next day as his parents are looking for him they find the dam/pond. They wonder who built it and comment that it looks like the sort of pond that Charlie's father would make... only he is certain that he didn't make it. Charlie wakes up and says that he made it and is heartily congratulated for a fine job of building a dam. Even grandfather admits "That's the way things are these days... more and more tramps become beavers." There is some gender stereotyping (mother races home to make flapjacks for all) but other than that, it is a quality children's book. There is a strong family message and asserts that children should be allowed to chase their dreams. For if they were given the proper guidance in their childhood, they will make good choices and do the proper thing. It was one of my favorites as a child and it is a shame that it is out of print.

When you were young did you ever want to be like your older brother or sister? Elisa is a four-year-old girl that lives in New York City with her brother Russell and her parents. I liked how Russell taught Elisa how to spell her name. The book shows how Elisa and her brother care about each other.

Frances, who is obviously a four year-old badger with definite opinions about the way the world should work, sings her odes and laments in this delightful book. Our favorite is Egg Thoughts, none of them good, because Frances HATES eggs. Superceded only by The Goops.