Take Your Pet to School Day

Every kid at Maple View School brings home a curious but official-looking notice: on Friday, the no-pet rule will be suspended, so “bring your bunny, bird or dog,/your lizard, turtle, fish or frog.” And it seems like a lot of fun at first: the school’s opening song turns into cacophony as animals “howl with gusto, bleat with glee.” But art class and story time are a mess, and snack time—shown in a vertical spread—becomes chaos, even if a porcupine looks very cute eating a fully loaded hot dog. Whose idea was this, anyway? When the humans eventually figure out that the animals invited themselves, the creatures fess up: “We miss our kids when they’re at school.” Sprightly rhymes by Ashman (Outside My Window) and cheery, mischievous pictures by Kaufman (All Are Welcome) make this both a good giggle and a cautionary tale. Ages 3–7. [em](July) [/em]