Tony Baloney: School Rules by Pam Muñoz Ryan (review)

Macaroni penguin Tony Baloney, from the picture book Tony Baloney, is back in this easy reader about Tony's school debut. Tony has a bit of trouble following his teacher's rules, as he blurts out answers, tags his pal a little too hard at recess, and runs in the cafeteria, resulting in a dropped lunch tray. When a tumbled block tower engulfs his buddy, Tony wavers about whether or not to interrupt Mrs. Gamboney ("No interruptions, if you please, except for the B emergencies," which are "bathroom," "bandage," or "belly-upset"), but decides that it is a B emergency: "Bob is buried beneath the blocks!" Tony's outburst not only leads to a humorous class expansion of the emergency contingencies to include such things as "baboons on bicycles" and "banana bombs" but also earns him the title of "Friendship Ambassador," much to his (and his stuffed toy Dandelion's) delight. This will be welcomed teachers who want to instigate discussion about class or school rules with an enjoyably non-didactic text. Tony is an amiable little fellow, and his dialogue back-and-forth with Dandelion is gently amusing. Some of the text is on the higher end of the easy-reader spectrum, but this could be easily read aloud to preschoolers and kindergarteners, who will likely most relate to Tony. Fotheringham's cheery digital illustrations feature lots of black, white, and grays for the penguin cast of characters, punched up with plenty of candy-colored hues.