Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson?

by Lois G. Grambling, Judy Love (Illustrator)

Overview

Kids are in for Jurassic-sized laughs as they follow a boy in his quest to bring a pterodactyl to school. And not just any pterodactyl: this one wards off bullies, loves to read stories, and makes an excellent science display. Hilarious illustrations capture the madcap imagination of the determined hero and his creative pleas to his teacher.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580891417
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/28/2006
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.13(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lois Grambling is the author of more than twenty children's books, including CAN I BRING WOOLLY TO THE LIBRARY, MS REEDER? and CAN I HAVE A STEGOSAURUS, MOM? CAN I? PLEASE!? She lives in Binghamton, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Who could resist a pterodactyl with a friendly grin? Possibly Ms. Johnson, the classroom teacher, who may need convincing that a pterodactyl could be a great asset for the school setting. Why, he could prove a great deterrent for the actions of the playground bully (imagine him carried off to be plopped into the sandbox—check out the glee with which the flying dinosaur performs this task), as well as using his large wings to shelter the marching band from rain and students from chilly breezes. Each time a school scenario is presented the reader has the opportunity to predict the actions the pterodactyl might take to remedy the situation, as the page must be turned to discover the next trick he has under his wings. The illustrations are the perfect complement to the text. In the spread showing how efficiently the pterodactyl could serve as a flying carpet for a field trip to Washington, DC, we see the capitol awaiting the multi-ethnic class as they swoop over the landscape. Tiny details include the National Botanical Gardens and the bridges crossing the Potomac. Each page begs Ms. Johnson to allow the pterodactyl to live at school. The boy needs a place for the prehistoric animal he has won in a "Fantastic" contest to stay, since it cannot live in his room at home (Mom would never agree). Then the last page has the final zinger. He read the letter wrong—he did not win a pterodactyl; instead he won a wooly mammoth. Great fun is to be had reading this one aloud, but some teachers will wish that the boy had said "May I."

Children's Literature - Sheilah Egan

PreS-Gr 2-A boy pleads with his teacher to let him bring to school the prize he won in a magazine contest-a pterodactyl. He cites the many advantages: bullies would be put in their place; the school band could be sheltered from the rain under its wings, and, if the heat were out, the dinosaur's wings could create a cozy blanket around the class. There would be no need to go to the museum, and bus trips would be a thing of the past since the pterodactyl could ferry a whole class on its back. After running through the positives, the boy suddenly realizes that he is winning a woolly mammoth and the book ends with him ready to list the advantages of that beast. The illustrations, done in transparent dyes, depict a character much older than the preschooler featured in Grambling's Can I Have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!? (1997) and Can I Have a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Dad? Can I? Please!? (2000, both Bridgewater). Since most kids don't take a pet to school to stay, this title lacks the compelling reason to keep a dinosaur as a pet that was found in the earlier titles. This slight and lengthy tale won't make the grade for even the most avid dinosaur fans.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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