JACK’S TALENT

It’s the first day of school and the teacher, Miss Lucinda, has all of the children sit on the story rug so they can tell her their names and special talents; she wants to make name tags so that she can remember them. After she demonstrates by giving her name and talent (gardening), the class joins in. Michael’s talent is spelling, and Francesca loves playing soccer. Matthew is good at fishing, and Candace enjoys drawing. Alex is a builder, Victoria trains dogs and Kristin likes to sing. Then it’s Jack’s turn. After a pause, he says that he isn’t good at anything—not like the other members of the class, whom he lists by name and talent. Miss Lucinda instantly sees that Jack does indeed have a talent—remembering. With a smile on his face, Jack hands out the name tags without any mistakes and proudly proclaims his new talent, bringing this simple story to a satisfying close. Warm illustrations of the enthusiastic students help make this a nice choice for those just starting school. (Picture book. 4-6)