WE LOVE SCHOOL!

Janovitz’s introduction to school brims with cute animal characters versifying their good fortune to be at school. “We like to cut. / We like to glue. / We like to hang the art we do. / We like to swing. / We like to slide. / We like lining up to go inside.” That last line is the giveaway; isn’t it safe to say that many kids would never utter it? These children are being used as mouthpieces for someone else’s program, and young readers will know. “We like snacktime, / and we know / we need good food to help us grow. / We like to sing. / We like to clap. / We like to take a little nap.” Ditto. Visually sweet and wholesome, the book is undercut by the declarative text, which feels more hypnotic than genuine. Readers, especially those looking for some comfort, may want to feel party to any cheerful assertions meant to soothe, but Janovitz’s characters don’t invite the reader in, instead they baldly go about their unsubstantiated proclamations—“We like. . . . ” Maybe we don’t, and then what do we do with our ruffled feathers? (Picture book. 3-5)