[BOOK REVIEW] Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard

Title:  Miss Nelson is Missing!

Author:  Harry Allard

Artist:  James Marshall

Genre:  Trickery / Manners / School / Mystery / Humor

Year Published: 1977

Year Read:  1994

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Series: Miss Nelson #1

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Some Mischievous Behavior) 

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“Miss Nelson is Missing!” is a children’s book written by Harry Allard along with illustrations by James Marshall and is about how the school’s sweetest teacher suddenly disappears and is replaced by a vicious teacher who tortures the students in room 207.  This book is surely a joy to read for children who love good humor and a good mystery to solve.

The book begins with the kids in room 207 misbehaving, especially since they got the reputation of being the worst-behaved class in the entire school.  Miss Nelson, their teacher, tried everything to calm them down, but nothing worked, so Miss Nelson decides that something has to be done to keep the kids under control.  The next day, Miss Nelson did not show up at school and the kids took this opportunity to misbehave even more.  Suddenly, a scary looking woman in an ugly black dress came into the classroom and yelled at the kids to be quiet and do their homework.  It turns out that the new and cruel teacher is none other than Miss Viola Swamp and the longer Miss Swamp stayed at the school, the more miserable the kids got as Miss Swamp forced the students to do so much hard work.  The kids then wondered what happened to Miss Nelson and whether she will come back or not.

Will Miss Nelson return back to school?

Read this book to find out!

Harry Allard has written a clever story about how the kids of room 207 learned the hard way about behaving when they are nearly stuck with a cruel teacher when their sweet teacher suddenly disappears from school.  I think it was clever about the way that the children suddenly started behaving towards the end of the book when they realized that Miss Nelson was a better teacher than Miss Swamp after they started taking advantage of her good nature.  James Marshall’s illustrations are cute as the characters have black dotted eyes and pudgy cheeks.  The illustration that truly stood out was the illustration of Miss Viola Swamp herself as she looked like a real witch with her long chin, her black dress and her striped stockings and she always had a scowl on her face everytime she looks at the children.

“Miss Nelson is Missing!” is a great and clever children’s book about what could happen if one does not behave properly and the importance of trying to obey authority at all times.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since I do not find anything unsuitable for the smaller children in this book.

* 1978 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile

* 1981 Grand Canyon Reader Award

  

 

[BOOK REVIEW] Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall

Title:  Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Author:  James Marshall

Genre:  Family / Animals / Fairy Tale / Manners

Year Published: 1988

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Dial Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Rude Behavior)

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“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” is a Caldecott Honor Book from the creative mind of James Marshall and it is about how a naughty little girl named Goldilocks finds out the hard way about being disobedient to her mother.  “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” is a truly hilarious retelling of the classic fairy tale the children will be engaged in for a long time.

James Marshall has done a magnificent job at both illustrating and writing this book.  James Marshall’s illustrations are truly colorful and hilarious making it a true recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Honor Award.  James Marshall, as usual, makes his characters have pudgy faces and small black dotted eyes, which make the characters, look cute and hilarious at the same time.  Also, the images are extremely colorful and creative, especially of the images of Goldilocks going inside the three bears’ house and the audience can see their house is littered with books, which makes it a dream come true for avid readers everywhere!  James Marshall remains faithful to the original fairy tale format, only this time; he adds some humor to the story such as the way that Goldilocks ate up the porridge by spilling it all over the floor and slurping up the porridge.  Many children will love the bright tone of the book as the book is mainly cute for small children to enjoy while it is full of attitude that older children would enjoy.

Parents should know that Goldilocks was a bit rude in this version of the classic fairy tale as in one incident; she barges into a home without knocking first and made a mess of the three bears’ house without cleaning up after herself.  As the book pointed out, Goldilocks was a naughty little girl who does as she pleases without knowing the consequences of her actions and many small children might be enticed to follow her examples.  Parents should talk to their children about the importance of having good manners and that children should never wandered into a stranger’s home without either knocking first or being accompanied by a parent.

“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” is a brilliant retelling of the classic fairytale that many children, young and old, would love because of its offbeat humor and its cute plotline.  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might imitate Goldilocks’ rudeness throughout this book.

* 1989 Caldecott Honor