The Noisy Classroom

March 15, 2020
Unconventional methods can help create a curious lifelong learner. Shant�'s debut picture book focuses on a young child who is worried about entering the third grade. The second grade class is expected to be silent in the hallway, and their classroom is quiet and orderly. The narrator is apprehensive about entering Ms. Johnson's "noisy" classroom, where the students listen to music! Taking a cue from Judith Viorst's Alexander, the narrator tells Ma and Pa that having a job in Antarctica would be better than entering Ms. Johnson's classroom and spends the summer preparing for the move. But when the time comes and third grade starts, the narrator finds that Ms. Johnson's unconventional classroom, where lessons feel like play, isn't so bad after all. Although the narrative text is filtered through this anxious child's point of view, readers are likely to wonder why on earth this kid is so nervous about having a teacher who is manifestly so much more fun than their current one, but it does accurately represent a young child's nervousness about change. Caregivers who are hoping to start a conversation on managing classroom fears would find this book a great place to start. Hawkins depicts a diverse school; the brown-skinned narrator is biracial and bicultural, with a Caribbean dad and Latinx mom. Both the second grade teacher and Ms. Johnson present black. A noisy classroom turns out to be a delightful place to learn. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 15, 2020

PreS-Gr 2-A student is wary of the third grade, specifically the noisy class, in her school. The narrator describes the music, the loudness, and the disorder she has witnessed in Ms. Johnson's classroom, so different from her own, where "we walk in two silent lines." When she learns she will be in the noisy classroom next year, she informs her parents she will be moving to Antarctica instead. Not even a family meal of jerk chicken and empanadas can sway her. When the new school year arrives, the girl finds some appeal in Ms. Johnson's nontraditional way of teaching. "Every lesson seems like a game. I have to admit, it is really fun." As the story comes to a close, she decides that "my noisy class is way better than Antarctica." Cartoon-style illustrations depict a diverse group of classmates, and show their humorous facial expressions. Unfortunately, any white space provided by the illustrations is filled with text in a font size that seems to crowd the pages. Text and page turns are awkward in places, such as when the girl is describing Ms. Johnson in the present on one page, and the facing page changes focus to next year. VERDICT An additional purchase. While the nontraditional teaching and learning style of Ms. Johnson's classroom is appealing and ultimately embraced by the narrator, the book's layout and design detract from its potential.-Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX

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