PRINCIPAL TATE IS RUNNING LATE!

What will happen to Hardy Elementary school when reliable Principal Tate runs late?

Principal Tate, a large white hen, holds everything together at school, cheering the students and making sure things run smoothly. But this morning, as the buses pull up and the school day starts, Principal Tate is missing. (Readers saw her under the hood of her car at the side of the road after the title page.) All sorts of small animals enter the school for their day, and problems enter with them: Someone is being teased; someone else is throwing up. There are visitors and parents waiting for Principal Tate; there’s a fire drill planned, and here comes the school board for their meeting! Before things descend into chaos, the staff and students spring into action, solving problems by sharing art, song, books, and food and by making phone calls. By the time the hero—bus driver Mr. Morales (a brown terrier)—shows up with Principal Tate, the school has proven that “it’s a place of community, / working so beautifully, together in unity.” The rhyming text feels a bit forced, and while the pileup of urgent situations is both a bit arbitrary and over-the-top, it builds momentum and suspense to keep the pages turning. The artwork is busy with few contrasting colors, requiring some extra focus to identify the all-animal characters mentioned in the text. Emotions and relationships are visualized and engaging. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet message for school communities.