I Got the School Spirit

The vivacious African American protagonist from I Got the Rhythm and I Got the Christmas Spirit returns in this ebullient follow-up, embarking on the first day of school with optimism and oomph. She discovers—and exudes—spirit at every turn, beginning at home (“I slip on the spirit in my shiny new shoes. STOMP, STOMP!” writes Schofield-Morrison) and continuing in the classroom (“We sing the spirit loud and clear. ABC, 123!”) and on the playground, where she finds a ball (“I kick the spirit high up in the air. KA-POW!”). At day’s end, she encounters a quieter and deeper spirit when she climbs off the school bus and into her mother’s open arms: “I feel the spirit in a big ol’ hug. SQUISH, SQUEEZE!” The electric hues, constant motion, and winning smiles that fill Morrison’s oil paintings enhance the boundless vitality of this sensory celebration of school. Ages 3–6. [em](July) [/em]