Little Lucy Goes to School

June 1, 2014
A curious beagle who gets loose in school sees all sorts of new things in this early-reader tale that has faint echoes of "The Gingerbread Man."When Bobby forgets his lunch in the hustle and bustle that is the family's morning, his mom and Lucy deliver it to his school. But the little pup's wriggles set her free to explore the school, allowing her to meet lots of familiar school faces: some students, the lunch lady, the custodian and, finally, her own boy-Bobby-in his classroom. Each person she meets yells for her to "Stop!" since "Dogs don't belong in school! Lucy heard her, but she didn't stop." By the end, those in pursuit have formed a parade of sorts, though the setup is too long and the chase too short to completely mirror the familiar folk tale. Those who have been in a school will recognize much of what Lucy sees on her adventure, though many are seen from a dog's (low) point of view. Blank space within the brightly colored pictures holds the medium-font text, which features short sentences in short paragraphs on each page. Full bleed single- and double-page-spread illustrations extend the story but don't help much with decoding, properly befitting a Step into Reading Level 3 title.Children will likely long to see a dog in their own schools as they decode their ways to reading success. (Early reader. 6-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-Bobby loves his dog Lucy, and when he heads off to school, Lucy misses him. So when Bobby leaves his lunch behind and his mom has to bring it to school, Lucy gets taken along for the ride. However, Bobby's mom forgets Lucy's leash, and as she drops off his lunch in the school office, Lucy takes off and goes exploring in the school, to her delight. Lucy runs through the halls, discovers sandwiches in the kitchen, and plays in slippery puddles as the janitor cleans the library floor. Finally, she runs into an open door that ends up leading to Bobby's classroom, and she couldn't be happier as she jumps into his lap and curls up to rest after an exciting adventure. Perfectly paced for emerging readers, this story is sure to be a hit. Great for back to school themes, the illustrations use double-page spreads and realistic drawings to portray a fun-filled tale.-Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.