August | 2015 | Reading With Rhythm

The Mom Person seems to think that my little brain has been idle long enough. It’s been a busy summer. For her, maybe. For me, it’s been all about Relaxation! That’s a good thing! But now the smells of school are in the air. Time to get myself back in shape for walking the halls and sniffing out backpacks.

We have been doing quite a bit of reading this summer. We go to the library once a week and those kids sure do like to read!!! That’s a good thing, too! All my readers are starting to talk about school, too. It’s kind of exciting to move up a grade and have new teachers and new routines.

And I have the PERFECT book for back to school!!!!

SmartyPants
(Pete in School)
(doesn’t that look a bit like me on the cover?!)

by
Maira Kalman
(You can check out her website HERE)

published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2003

This is kind of a sequel to one of my very FAVORITE books –
What Pete Ate from A – Z by Ms Kalman
I talked about this book some time ago and if you’d like to see what I had to say about it, you can check it out HERE.

This SmartyPants book is also about Pete – a dog who likes to eat strange things. (I even think some of his chosen edibles are a bit strange!) What Pete Ate is an alphabet book and a list of all kinds of stuff that that crazy Pete eats. SmartyPants begins with a kind of short summary of the previous book, but this tale is really about going back to school. Summer is over and Pete’s girl, Poppy Wise, is contemplating what that means. All the things she Hates about school, and all the things she Loves about school.

We get introduced to her teachers and her principal and her classmates. Then one day – out of the blue – her dog, Pete, shows up at school and starts eating stuff! The blackboard and Mr. Spitzer’s PANTS!! Pete creates HAVOC all over the school and has to go to the principal’s office!! While there, he eats an Encyclopedia About Everything! And guess what!!! He becomes REALLY smart!!!!! So they sneak him back into school and let him answer all the questions! Pete was the STAR of the DAY!!!

Mr. SMARTYPANTS!!!!

That Ms Kalman is a crazy, clever lady! Her artwork is so fun to look at! Quirky and Zany and Extravagant! This is such an excellent book! I want to read it again!! It makes me roll on the floor laughing! It makes me hungry!! I need to go eat something!

Go check this book out! And I’ll see you later!