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Reviewed by: Emily McFarlane, Elementary School Librarian Title: Mr. S
Author: Monica Arnaldo Illustrator: Monica Arnaldo
Publisher: Katharine Tegen Books
Year: 2023 Good for Grades: PK-2 Genre/Type of Book: Absurdist Humor/Picture Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Colleague recommendation
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Who is the mysterious Mr. S, and what is that sandwich doing here?
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Review:
It is the children's first EVER day of school, and there is no teacher in the classroom. Only a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and "Mr. S" written on the board. Half of the class is convinced that their teacher is a sandwich, and the other half says that can't be right! A sudden noise spooks the class and they begin their lessons, as a series of unfortunate events rage outside their window. A large man storms back in and reveals that their teacher really is...
"Mr. S" is an absurdist and downright hilarious first day book. The amount of sandwich references is never-ending, and there is a little reference to Monica's first book, "Are You A Cheeseburger?" during the read-aloud scene. The illustrations are full of color, life, and emotion. The class is very diverse in skin tone/nationality and ability, with a child in a wheelchair and another child who uses walking aids. I think kids will be able to see themselves in this book which is lovely, and they will have a great time looking for the clues about what is happening in the background of the story. It is a great story for predictions, as well as to talk about twist endings! This is going right up with "The Book with No Pictures" as a first library read aloud.
This is a perfect first day of school book, and just a great funny read aloud. The cover features some of the kids' heads peering comically over the desk at the sandwich, papers flying and the title written in what looks like mustard. It is bright and fun, with lots of different expressions. This sets up the stage nicely for the beginning of the book, and it is sure to attract attention. We haven't been able to keep it on our shelf, and I haven't even read it aloud yet!
This book would be great in ELA lessons about twist endings, subverting expectations, and outside the window plays a great series of tableau on the adage "It couldn't get any worse!"
Number of party hats:
Find resources for Mr. S at Teachingbooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publisher's Website