Back to School is Cool! by Jim Jinkins

We borrowed this book from the library and my son (6 years old) loves it. In fact, he drags it to bed every night so we can read it, and he drags it downstairs every morning so he can look at it before school -- and I don't know of a better recommendation than that.

If you aren't already familiar with the television series and books, you should know that the principal characters are Pinky, her little brother Tyler, “Mr. Guinea Pig” (the family pet), and the 'word of the day'. I say the-word-of-the-day is a character because a big deal is made about introducing this word, and a lot of hoopla ensues whenever the word is used. On the television series there's a dramatic pause and ta-da horns are blown. In the book attention and fun is created by the use of funky large print.

As a mom, I love the party atmosphere and the effort that is made to make large-and-impressive words understandable and less intimidating. And I've found that my two kids absorb the definitions and begin using those words pretty quickly.

In “Back to School Is Cool”, Tyler is 'apprehensive' about his first day at school. To demonstrate that all the newness of school is nothing to worry about, Pinky tells Tyler a story about the worst school day imaginable. One where it's Picture Day and everyone has 'bad hair'. Pinky shows Tyler how she and her school mates worked past their apprehension, and how that led them to have a good day. And that he can do the same.

RATING ::: Extremely Good
This book is fun and educational. (Whoo-hoo!) Good Read-Aloud. The artwork is a combination of colorful drawings and pictures, with conversation bubbles and a variety of fonts that 'keep it lively'!

AR (Accelerated Reading/ATOS) level is 2.9