Hi guys and gals!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're heading back to the hallowed halls of learning (along with our local school kids in a few days....*dun dun dunnnnn*) in a rather unique way. How so? Ah, I thought you might ask that. Well you see, we're traveling there through the pages of a Picture Book (no surprise) via Penguin Young Readers (still not surprised) written by none other than, author Terry Border (Aha! Now you get it...). You might have a bit of deja vu with the name there seeing as how just about this time one year ago we were featuring a different title of his creation and introducing you to the art form known as the Bent Object project. It's quite creative actually and really allows the reader to play with there food. *giggle* Ready or not, the school bell has rung and today's book of choice is...
by
9780399176197
Filled with punny quips, word play, and enough humorous scenes to shake a ruler at, this charming Picture Book still manages to pass on a lesson or two before the final bell rings.
Face value...this is the tale of one young Milk heading to school for the very first time. She's well loved and means well, but her actions and reactions don't always add up to an easy first day. After trying to befriend Cupcake, offering what she thought was reassurance to Egg, and accidentally throwing away one of Celery's raisins, things couldn't get any worse...or so she thought. All it took was one misplaced portion of Banana's peel and...well, let's just say that "crying over spilled milk" isn't just a saying in this case. Can things be righted and all foody friends put back together before the final bell? Will Waffle ever get over his ill thinking of Milk? Will Milk find out that just because there's no smell, something (or someone) can still be a little spoiled? Perhaps....but there's so much more to it than that!
Though centered around Milk's first day of school (and we all know how traumatic those can be), it's not simply one for the kiddos. No siree. The lessons it brings to the table are ones of acceptance, humility, and kindness...a few things most of us could use a nudge about from time to time. I loved how Milk's father reassured her, how innocent she was in her misconstrued responses to her classmates, and even pesky Waffle's snickering and whispering throughout the story. When they were asked to draw pictures of their families, it brought a chuckle to my lips, and when asked what they wanted to be, how could you not smile at Milk's response! The stand offs, the shut outs, the bullying, though all represented in a humorous way, still work to show how real and harmful it can be, and in the end how silly it is for us to be so close minded.
With a work like this though, you can't call it an end without discussing the images. It's a PICTURE BOOK for a reason and they deserve note. Here, the pics serve to illustrate the scene (as they should) but it's the little details within them that really give them an extra punch. From bent spoons for chairs, Egg drawing Cupcake (perhaps a crush?), Apple reading Paradise Lost, and Milk's backpack being stuffed with hair bows to drive home her slightly elevated sense of self, there's something to be seen and excitedly pointed at with every page turn. Oh, and I can't forget the LIBRARY scene...with the classic Great EGGspectations! *smile* Take a gander for yourself and see what catches your eye...
Recommended for all those heading back to reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as those students of that crazy course we call LIFE.
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About the author...
Terry Border is the author of Peanut Butter & Cupcake, Happy Birthday, Cupcake!, and Milk Goes to School. He is also the mastermind behind the Bent Objects project, which has been lauded in media all over the world, spawning books, calendars, greeting cards and puzzles. He lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana
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Special thanks to Kaitlin at Penguin Young Readers for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title was released this June via Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing. Don't forget to check out the ACTIVITY KIT that goes along with this read, available as a FREE DOWNLOAD from the publisher's site!
Until next time...happy reading!
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