I am TOO Absolutely Small for School

Picture Book
Title: I am TOO Absolutely Small for School
Author/Illustrator: Lauren Child
Age Level: 4-7
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary
I am TOO Absolutely Small for School is a book about Lola and Charlie who are siblings.  Lola, the younger sister, is very skeptical about attending school.  She does not know why she needs to be able to count past ten, write letters, and read words.  It is up to Charlie to convince Lola that school is fun and a worthwhile place for learning all the things she will need to know in the future.

Opinion
I think that the message of this story is one that would be very beneficial to teach kindergarteners or those that are just entering school.  Many kids have a hard time getting adjusted to the new lifestyle of having to go to school, me being one of those kids, and this book may relieve some of those fears about being in an atmosphere they are not familiar with.  Reading this book on the first day of kindergarten or first grade would help those who are not feeling comfortable in the classroom see why school is so important and how it can be a lot of fun, too.  Although the book had a good message for young learners, I did not like how the book was set up.  The illustrations were eye-catching and related to the images found in the television show about Charlie and Lola that children may be able to relate to, but the text was portrayed in a very confusing style that I think would be difficult for children to read and understand.  On many of the pages the text was swirled around the images or went from the top of the page, swirling down to the bottom of the page, jumping from place to place and it was even confusing for me to find where I was supposed to read next so I cannot imagine the difficulty a beginner reader would have with this book.

I did like the message that this book sent and I do think that this book would be useful in the classroom on the first day of school for kindergarteners or first graders.  I would read this book and provide a discussion about all the fun things that the students will be doing during school, in hope that they will find school less scary and more exciting.