School Picture Day - Softcover

Lynn Plourde's picture books include Wild Child, Winter Waits, and Spring's Sprung, all illustrated by Greg Couch.

Thor Wickstrom is the illustrator of several picture books, including Hiccup Snickup, of which Publishers Weekly said: "This ridiculous remedy is a must for the medicine cabinet."

Kindergarten-Grade 2-It's picture day, and everyone arrives dressed to the nines. Everyone, that is, except Josephina Caroleena Wattasheena the First, who had "more important things to think about." What she cares about is not pretty bows or jewels and jackets, but, rather, how the gearshift on the bus works, or the electric pencil sharpener, or the sprinkler system at school. Of course, finding out how these items work takes some "highfalutin fidgeting, fiddling, fuddling, and foopling" on her part, which always spells disaster for the other students in the class. As the day goes on, they get progressively dirtier as the girl continues to take things apart. When the photographer arrives and his camera won't work, it's Josephina, of course, who comes to the rescue. The zany, colorful, cartoon illustrations complement the child's eccentric nature, showcasing a multiethnic classroom fully engaged in her antics. While the text can be wordy at times and some pages verge on busy, children will enjoy Josephina's story. It may even relieve some pre-photo jitters.
Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY
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