Monday, August 11, 2014

Review: My Teacher Is a Monster by Peter Brown

My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.)
By Peter Brown
Little, Brown and Company, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-07029-4

Bobby has a big problem at school and her name is Ms. Kirby.  All she does is yell, stomp, and take away recess privileges (for throwing paper airplanes in class).  In a word, she is a monster.  One Saturday while at the park trying to forget all about Ms. Kirby and school, he runs into...Ms. Kirby!  What's a boy to do?  He sits down on the bench next to her and tries to make small talk.  A gust of wind blows Ms. Kirby's favorite hat off her head and Bobby rescues it.  Then, Bobby and Ms. Kirby quack at the ducks, Bobby shows her his favorite spot at the park, and they throw paper airplanes.  Maybe Ms. Kirby isn't such a monster, after all.

I love this story, because it is so relatable.  Think back on your elementary school experience...you know there was that one teacher you weren't a fan of.  I can think of a couple from middle school!  Bobby gets to have an experience with Ms. Kirby outside of school and it turns out she can have fun and that she doesn't yell and stomp all of the time.  The illustrations really make this story.  Ms. Kirby is depicted as a green, scaly monster at the start of the story, and as it progresses, the monster fades away (think Nanny McPhee).  This is a fun book to share with kids, especially as summer is winding down and parents and kids are getting in back to school mode.  Have a great first day back and remember, your teachers aren't monsters!

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