Mr. Wolf's Class

April 16, 2018
Readers of this congenial graphic novel by Eisner Award–winning Steinke (The Zoo Box) will settle right into Mr. Wolf’s classroom as the new teacher and his animal students get to know each other. Steinke’s panel artwork presents multiple points of view, juggling Mr. Wolf’s anxiousness to have the first day go right with his student Penny’s disappearance (kept up all night by her family’s new baby, she falls asleep in a box in the library), the grouchy responses of Aziza (a duck who appears to be on the autism spectrum), and the fast friendship that grows between Sampson and Margaret as they sit together on the bus. The animals are drawn in clear lines and full color with just enough detail to make each one an individual. Classroom jargon adds to the genuine flavor (“Level-one voices in the hallway!” Mr. Wolf calls); all of it will be familiar to students of suburban American schools. Without big highs and lows—the only suspense is whether they’ll find Penny or not—the story offers calming reading during spare moments waiting for practice to be over, or for the bus to come. Ages 7–10. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Management.

May 1, 2018

Gr 2-5-Life in Mr. Wolf's fourth grade classroom is ever changing. Feeling pleased with himself one moment and on the verge of panic the next, Mr. Wolf maintains composure while keeping up with the schedule and dealing with one particularly alarming event. This first book in a new series, based on the author's webcomic, is funny and appealing. Steinke adds hilarity to typical classroom scenarios: rats run away with lunches, and a student asks, "Which do you like better-ice cream or farts?" Children will identify with the distinctly rendered, expressive students. The images are simple and easily understood. With basic dialogue, a soothing setting, and no more than six frames per page, this book is ideal for new chapter book readers and older struggling readers. VERDICT A popular pick for public and elementary schools. Kids will anxiously await the next funny adventure at Hazelwood Elementary.-Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2018
Grades 2-4 It's the first day of school at Hazelwood Elementary, specifically in new teacher Mr. Wolf's fourth-grade classroom. We stick with the anthropomorphized animal teachers and students from Mr. Wolf's classroom all the way through end-of-the-day cleanup and the students' bus ride home, witnessing charmingly familiar moments along the way: Sampson has to go to the bathroom REALLY badly, Aziza has a hard time showing her work at math, Randy takes a survey on whether people prefer ice cream or farts, and new student Margot makes a good friend on the way home. Credibly, students are by turns playful, thoughtless, rude, and kind, and readers even get a glimpse into the ups and downs of a teacher's day, especially when the exhausted Penny falls asleep in a library box and disappears until recess. With calm intelligence and amusing, accessible realism, Steinke creates a cast in which any young reader will immediately find someone to embrace and a world that's invitingly recognizable. Friendly figures and compositions that favor flow over flash make the cartooning equally inviting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)