Mule School

Rawlinson, Julia. 2008. Mule School. Illustrated by Lynne Chapman.

Mules are known for stubbornness. Right? Wrong! Meet Stomper, a mule that might just flunk out of mule school because he just can't be stubborn enough like all his peers. You see Stomper likes to be polite, friendly, helpful. He likes to think for himself. He may want to do what others tell him to do. Why should he be restricted to saying "no" and "never" and "won't"?

I love the illustrations by Lynne Chapman. And I confess they probably steal the show away from the text. The attention to detail is humorous. And it's often these hidden little gems that are good for a quick laugh. I think I caught something new each time I read it through.


Here is how Mule School begins,

Stomper did not like Mule School. He liked the other mules. He liked lunchtime and playtime. But he did not like Stubbornness Practice. Every day his schedule was the same:

9 o'clock Stubbornness
11 o'clock Kicking
12 o'clock Lunch
1 o'clock Stubbornness
3 o'clock Kicking
4 o'clock Home

Day after day the mules recited, "Won't, won't, won't" and "Never, never, never." They shook their heads and stamped their feet.

As you might be able to predict, Stomper will have some influence--though it won't come easily and without some cost--on his peers and his teacher. While the message that it's good "that not everyone is exactly the same" has been done before (a recurring theme in picture books when it comes down to it), I must admit that I enjoyed Mule School. I would be interested to see what a classroom of kids thought of it as well. If you've read this one to kids, feel free to leave a comment. Was it a big hit or a dud? Is it a book that adults think kids will really like...or is it actually genuinely kid-friendly?

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

No Bows

Duke, Shirley Smith. 2006. No Bows! Illustrated by Jenny Mattheson.

A few days ago when I was reviewing Say Hello, I mentioned that sometimes less was more. (Cat is another recent example.) That just a few well-chosen words can tell a good--sometimes even great--story. (Now that I think about it Orange Pear Apple Bear is another good example. I think I really like simple.)

No Bows is a great book. A really great book. And I'm not just saying that. Occasionally I come across a picture book hero or heroine that is me. There's just an instant click, a connection. I see myself in that character, in that book. Such is the case with No Bows.

In just a few words, our young heroine is fully-fleshed, fully developed. And she's fun. She's just a delight.

Here's a sample of the text:

no bows...
BRAIDS

no pink...
PURPLE

no puppy...
LIZARD

You get the idea. She's an individual. She's content, happy, delighted to be just who she is. And her parents love her just as she is.

The book is so simple, so inviting, that it just is begging to be an interactive "read." It's predictable in that even if one can't technically read the words on his/her own, the pictures are there to help out, give a clue as to what word comes next.

Anyway, I love the text. I love the concept. I love the illustrations. (So bright. So happy. So right.) If I had read this as a child, there is not a doubt in my mind that it would have been an again-again book. A book that I would have insisted time and time and time and time again be read aloud.