Time for Earth School, Dewey Dew

by Leslie Staub, Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

Overview

Click-Clack Waddle Dot Dewey Dew from Planet Eight Hundred Seventy-Two Point Nine does not want to go to school—not on his planet, and definitely not on Planet Earth at Mrs. Brightsun's School for Little Learners. Everything on Earth is different. His clothes don't fit right, his classmates don't look like him, and even Earth noises sound weird. In this first day of school story with a twist, nervous Dewey Dew learns that new experiences—like going to school on another planet—might be okay after all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590789582
Publisher:	Highlights
Publication date:	06/21/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leslie Staub is the author of Everybody Gets the Blues and the author and illustrator of Bless This House. She also illustrated Lives: Poems About Famous Americans and Whoever You Are. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Jeff Mack is the illustrator of multiple picture books, including Bunnicula and Friends and Hurry! Hurry! He has also written and illustrated many picture books, chapter books, and early readers, including Clueless McGee, Good News Bad News, and the Hippo and Rabbit series. He lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Visit jeffmack.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2016
A blue-skinned, one-eyed extraterrestrial (full name: Click-Clack Waddle-Waddle Dot-Dot Dewey Dew) feels like the ultimate outsider as he attends Ms. Brightsun’s School for Little Learners, right here on Earth. Staub (Everybody Gets the Blues) laces her story with playful bits of alien vocabulary. “Brand-new Earth shoes pinched his oofs,” she writes, and Dewey even “dorfles” (cries) a few green tears as he approaches the school; adding insult to injury, the teardrops get caught in his space helmet. Mack (Who Needs a Bath?) uses dense pencil shading to bring texture to the pages while amplifying Dewey’s anxiety through varying perspectives and dramatic shadows. Dewey’s rewarding emotional turnaround comes thanks to the efforts of a friendly boy (full name: J.J. Burgdorf Havermeier the Third), which should give hope to Earthlings nervous about their own first days of school. Ages 4–8. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (June)

Publishers Weekly

It's one thing to feel like an alien on your first day of school. It's another thing to be one.... the amusing text works seamlessly with the artwork... A fine read-aloud choice, this picture book explores what it feels like to be the new kid, whatever planet you call home.'—Booklist

"Dewey Dew is blue, has one eye and an antennalike appendage on his head, and is from Planet Eight Hundred Seventy-Two Point Nine. But for his first day of school, he is heading, reluctantly, for Earth and Mrs. Brightsun's School for Little Learners. But nothing there looks, feels, or sounds quite right to Dewey Dew... Mack's pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations are a delight. Though they've likely never met an ET, readers won't have any trouble decoding what the unfamiliar words mean or how Dewey Dew feels about his single eye, 3-fingered hands, and lack of hair amid the other students, who are nicely multiracial.ET or not, the first day of school will be ootay." —Kirkus Reviews

"Little one-eyed alien Dewey is anxious about starting school on Earth... The alien perspective is at once relatable to kids and distant enough to provide a neutral, safe place to ponder the worries of starting school.... This is just the ticket for freshening up a back-to-school storytime or a first-day-of-school readaloud session." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

This enchanting story about Dewey, a space alien who must go to school far away from everything he knows, has a tender message about acceptance, understanding, friendship and love. It is time for Dewey to go to school and he comes from Planet Eight Hundred Seventy-Two Point Nine to go to school in Ms. Brightsun’s School for Little Learners on Planet Earth. Dewey does not wear the same clothes, speak the same language, or have the same experiences as his classmates in Ms. Brightsun’s class; and that causes great anxiety, worry, and fear for young Dewey. All young readers will relate to these feelings of anxiety and nervousness about a new experience or environment, but Dewey’s situation is compounded by the fact that he is far from home and totally unfamiliar with what people are saying and doing. As the story unfolds, young readers will enjoy the challenge and discovery of understanding Dewey’s language through the embedded messages and the wonderfully detailed illustrations on each page. For example, the adorable illustration of Dewy dressed for school shows his big red sneakers and the words say that Dewey’s brand new earth shoes pinched his “oofs.” Young readers will realize that oofs mean toes; hunklets mean ankles; and dorfled means cried. Although things are very difficult and confusing for Dewey, one classmate smiles and asks Dewey to be his friend, so there is a happy ending to this charming story. This wonderful story will be enjoyed by young readers for many reasons, and it offers many opportunities for thoughtful discussion and conversation about friendships, overcoming difficult situations, understanding and being sensitive to people who are different, and learning to adapt to new environments. This is a delightful book with a wonderful message for readers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Reviewer: Susan Borges; Ages 4 to 9.

Children's Literature - Susan Borges

08/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Click-Clack Waddle-Waddle Dot-Dot Dewey Dew does not want to go to school. Not on his planet or on the moons of Jupiter or on the Space Station Zoomalot. And he definitely does not want to go to Ms. Brightsun's School for Little Learners on Earth. Nonetheless, his mom makes him go because everyone has to go to school somewhere. Dewey Dew feels out of place. His new shoes pinch, his socks droop, his pants come up too high, and his shirt doesn't fit. His mother tells him everything is going to be okay and sends him on his way. But nothing is okay. Dewey Dew knows he is out of place at this new school, which makes him even sadder. Then he meets his classmate J.J., who invites Dewey Dew to stand with him in line with a smile, and that instantly makes Dewey Dew feel better. He smiles so brightly, his happiness flies all the way past the space station and the moons of Jupiter to his home planet, and he knows that everything will be okay. Children who have never been to school or are having to switch schools will instantly relate to Dewey Dew. His feelings of alienation and loneliness in a new place are ones that many children have despite assurances from parents that everything will be okay. The linear story follows Dewey throughout his day, and his colorful vocabulary conveys his feelings of not belonging. The illustrations are lovely, and the faces in Dewey Dew's classroom are diverse and reflective of classrooms today. VERDICT A fun read-aloud and a wonderful discussion starter for most collections.—Paige Garrison, Augusta Richmond County Library System, GA

School Library Journal

2016-05-04
Dewey Dew's first day of school might look an awful lot like most kids', though it's a pretty safe bet they aren't extraterrestrials.Dewey Dew is blue, has one eye and an antennalike appendage on his head, and is from Planet Eight Hundred Seventy-Two Point Nine. But for his first day of school, he is heading, reluctantly, for Earth and Mrs. Brightsun's School for Little Learners. But nothing there looks, feels, or sounds quite right to Dewey Dew: his new "Earth shoes pinched his oofs," and he dorfles just a little, though "he was pretty sure he was much too old for it." Just when things look their bleakest, though, J.J. Burgdorf Havermeier the Third smiles at him and invites him to stand in line. And with that, Dewey Dew's day changes for the better (something more outgoing children may take to heart). Mack's pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations are a delight. Though they've likely never met an ET, readers won't have any trouble decoding what the unfamiliar words mean or how Dewey Dew feels about his single eye, 3-fingered hands, and lack of hair amid the other students, who are nicely multiracial.ET or not, the first day of school will be ootay. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews