No frogs in school

PreS-Gr 2-Bartholomew's pets are his best friends. Pets with hair, pets that fly, pets that have scales: no animal is unwelcome in Bartholomew's home. In fact, the boy loves his pets so much that he can't bear to leave them behind when he has to go to school. Mr. Patanoose, Bartholomew's teacher, is not thrilled and starts instituting new rules. First, "No frogs in school." Next comes, "No salamanders in school. No frogs, toads, or tadpoles. Nothing born in the water that grows up to live on land. Keep your amphibians at home." Each day, Mr. Patanoose bans another pet from coming back until, finally, Bartholomew has a brilliant idea that is sure to make his teacher and his entire class happy. His bunny can be the class pet! Young readers learn a bit about different animal categories and their habitats. The illustrations are filled with colorful characters and fun details. VERDICT An engaging story to for back-to-school storytime or for young pet lovers.-Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bartholomew's love for his pets extends to the classroom, much to the dismay of his exasperated teacher, Mr. Patanoose.Bartholomew can count a great many species of animals as pets: a goat, dogs, a snake, birds, fish, a spiderhe has them all, and a few more in between. Each day of the week Bartholomew brings a different pet to school. On Monday, after he brings in Ferdinand the frog, Mr. Patanoose says, "No frogs in school." So on Tuesday, Bartholomew brings in Sigfried the salamanderafter all, a salamander is not a frog. Amphibians are then banned. On Wednesday Bartholomew brings in Horace the hamster (not an amphibian), leading to a no-rodents rule. Bartholomew continues skirting Mr. Patanoose's rules until finally he decides to donate Rivka the rabbit to the class so that the adorable gray bunny can be everyone's pet. This charming story uses repetition and humor to cleverly share information, as Bartholomew, a brown-skinned boy with black curly hair, uses his love for and knowledge of animals to find loopholes in Mr. Patanoose's increasing list of rules. The cartoony illustrations are a colorful mix of watercolors abundant with vibrant yellows and pale greens. In the depiction of Bartholomew's multicultural classroom is one notable misstep, as it includes a black girl with plaits sticking up all over her head, harkening unhappily back to the Little Rascals' Buckwheat and other pickaninny stereotypes. Visual stumble aside, each page lends itself to an energetic seek-and-find storytime that promises new discoveries upon multiple reads. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.