Herbie Jones and the Second Grade Slippers

August 1, 2006
K-Gr 2 -In this easy chapter book, Mr. S announces that beginning the following day, the children will wear slippers in class. This sounds like fun to most of them, but not to the new kid, Roy, who doesn -t own any. Herbie solves the problem by sharing his slippers and his sister -s old ones -purple mules with tiny flowers -with Roy; each boy wears one slipper from each pair. There -s a valuable lesson here about not laughing at others. The adults (all male) are depicted as sympathetic and cool, and the dialogue rings true. But wouldn -t a savvy teacher be prepared for a circumstance like Roy -s? Better humorous books for this audience include Barbara Park -s -Junie B. Jones - series (Random), Cynthia Rylant -s -Henry and Mudge - titles (S & S), and Kline -s own -Horrible Harry - books (Viking). Sorry, Herbie, this one doesn -t make the grade." -Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2007
After Sid purposely stomps on Song Lee's origami praying mantis, Harry swears to get revenge. The readable school story ends happily as the children forgive one another and enjoy a birthday party together. Like the other books in the series, this is a cheerful, realistic look at elementary school life. Recipes for "Kitty-Litter Cake" and Lebanese cookies are included.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)