TEACHERS ROCK!

Parr turns his bold, vibrant colors and simple declarative sentences to teachers, looking at what they do and who they are.

Doubtless those just beginning school will get a positive view of teachers from Parr’s book. How can they help it when teachers do so much? From encouraging creativity and making you laugh to playing games, helping you do all sorts of new things, and taking you on field trips, there is not much that teachers do that isn’t covered (one teacher even hands a presumably snotty-nosed student a tissue, and another has paper towels for an accident). One scene is all too true for too many teachers: a smiling teacher stands at the checkout, the register totaling $100, and the text reads, “They make sure students have everything they need.” With very few exceptions, Parr’s multicolored students (a mix of human, alien, and animal) and teachers sport simple, uniform smiles, even when crying. The teachers are a nice mix of male and female, one is in a wheelchair, and several are in ethnic dress. And Parr addresses that age-old question of where teachers live: “Teachers can be just like you and me” is illustrated with four teachers variously eating, brushing teeth, picking out underwear, and sleeping in a bed with a dog and a cat.

Sure to reassure readers nervous about their own teachers-to-be.