Joe and Sparky Go to School by Jamie Michalak (review)

In this easy reader, Joe the giraffe and Sparky the turtle (Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels, BCCB 4/09) investigate a visiting school bus and end up unintentionally riding it back to the students' school, where the nearsighted teacher fails to note that her pupils now include a giraffe and a turtle. Poor Joe, desperate to earn a star from the teacher, is especially distressed that he is anatomically unable to follow directives to raise or wash his hands. The animal duo's misunderstandings about this new environment also lead to funny situations: upon entering the boys' rest room, they are puzzled by the lack of places to "rest" and by the "tiny pond" that disappears and reappears when Joe presses a button. The ending is slightly flat (the two walk back to the zoo, Sparky falls asleep on his rock, and Joe looks out at the world), but the preceding pages more than make up for any twinges of dissatisfaction over the end. The vocabulary is within range for primary-graders who are above the level of Elephant and Piggie but not quite ready for lengthier chapter books; the book's humor, ably emphasized by Remkiewicz's comic watercolor and prismacolor pencil illustrations, makes this a joyous readaloud as well. The art is bright and buoyant, and kids will get a kick out of the animal pair's antics, whether they're eating the math manipulatives (peas) or playing with the toilet. Share this in a school-themed storytime, or hand it to young readers looking for a gigglingly good read.