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Description
“I liked kindergarten from the very 1st day,” begins the narrator of this very funny and touching picture book. However, she notices, “My mom was happy for me, of course, but I got the feeling that she was also a little sad” to leave her. So one day the little girl invites her mom to join the kindergarten class for the day, which turns out to be a real learning experience --- for both of them. Somehow her mom just can't get any of the rules right: she barges to the front of the line, she shouts out without raising her hand, she slams down her scissors during Craft Time. How embarrassing! In a wonderful role reversal that will delight young children, the girl must become the patient and sometimes frustrated expert who instructs her mom on how to behave.
Author Maureen Fergus has found a unique way of telling a school story that allows children to feel rewarded about how much they know. The spare style and juvenile sensibility of the artwork by Mike Lowery perfectly conveys the hilarity of the story. This book would be a popular, entertaining read-aloud, especially for kindergartners themselves. It ties in beautifully to character education lessons on patience or perseverance. The little girl is a wonderful role model for how to be generous and kind to others who are struggling with something new, while also providing a humorous lesson on why it's important to follow the rules.
Author Bio
MAUREEN FERGUS is an award-winning author of books for children and young adults, including The Day Dad Joined My Soccer Team, The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten and the Buddy and Earl series. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Mike Lowery has illustrated many books for children, including The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten and A Squiggly Story. Mike lives in Decatur, Georgia.
Prizes
- Best Books of the Year for Children and Young Adults, Bank Street Children's Book CommitteeWinner 2014
- Blue Spruce, Forest of ReadingWinner 2015
- Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book CentreWinner 2013
Review Quotes
You can almost smell the crayons ... A well-observed kindergarten whimsy.—Kirkus Reviews
Fergus's light humor keeps the story amusing ...—The New York Times
Tongue so firmly in cheek that it might have to be surgically removed, Fergus crafts a switcheroo that will have children rolling on the floor and, along with certain parents and less-experienced teachers, getting the point, too.—Booklist Online
... with lively humor and a bright, welcoming cartoon aesthetic ... Young readers will giggle ...—Publishers Weekly
Biographical note
Author Maureen Fergus has written the YA novel Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero, Recipe for Disaster, and Ortega. The Day My Mom Came to Kindergarten is her first picture book. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
Mike Lowery loves to draw stuff. Art was his favorite activity in kindergarten, and he has grown up to create illustrations for everything from children's books, magazines and greeting cards to T-shirts and wallpaper. His work can also be seen in galleries around the world. Mike lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is a Professor of Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta.