Rating: 5 stars
I love when people recommend books to me. Regardless of the length of my to-do list, or the hunger level of my children, it suddenly becomes my mission in life to find that book and review it. And so it was with Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School. An old coworker/pal of mine (we used to sell furniture together, and now we read picture books to our babies miles apart) found it and thought it special, and I totally agree!
The pint-sized kid in the front row has news for us: Marshall Armstrong is new to his school. He is quick to point out (and the talented David Mackintosh is quick to illustrate, literally and figuratively) all the differences:
- His school supplies are different--much more elaborate and fancy.
- His face is different--his skin redder and pastier, his eyes always focused on teacher.
- His arm is different--more mosquito-bite food-like.
- His lunch is different--it is wrapped in silver packages like space food.
- His activity in recess is different--his doctor says reading is enough activity for him.
After all these observations, the young narrator arrives at this conclusion: Marshall Armstrong does not fit in at his school. Not one bit.
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| "He looks different to me." |
Yet Marshall Armstrong is having a birthday party, and the narrator's parents are making him go. Sigh. Ugh. Man. The injustice!
And then: the party happens. The house is unique and cool! The party is even unique-er and cool-er! It involves stilts, monkey bars, a train set, a piñata, a bike that runs an electric lightbulb, a microscope, a fireman's pole that goes from the top of the house to the bottom… In other words, a whole slew of neat-o things.
Our young narrator's perspective has, um, changed a little. The next time a new kid arrives at the school, he offers that she sit next to him for the first few days so he can kindly show her around.
Now that this review is done, I guess my kids can eat now...
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