One Golden Rule at School

May 1, 2020

Toddler-PreS-This story begins with one backpack and two teachers as readers count along during a day in the life of a preschooler. There are three posters on the wall and four stories to read and so on until there are ten students lining up for snack time. Then readers begin to count backwards until the story concludes with one great day at school. The Golden Rule is referenced a few times in the text, but it is a little jarring to the book's rhythm and interrupts the flow of the minimal text. Alko (B is for Brooklyn) is an award-winning author and illustrator, and her collage illustrations are charming and inventive. The classroom is diverse, with students of different backgrounds and abilities. Each page is replete with fanciful objects, including old-fashioned library catalog cards, which lend a nostalgic feel. However, due to the plethora of items on each page, the counting concept gets a little lost with so much going on. VERDICT This is an optional purchase for counting book collections.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2020
Readers count to 10 and back down again as they follow an elementary-age student through a typical school day. "ONE backpack. / TWO teachers" sees the child (who has brown skin and hair in one long, brown braid) arriving, apple in hand. Smaller text in the illustrations directs readers toward other objects to count: "1 globe," "2 pencils." The kids listen to their teachers, explore the classroom, play with blocks. Then "TEN chickpeas line up" for snack, each child standing under their own charming, realistically childlike self-portrait. The diverse class includes a range of skin colors and hairstyles, a child who uses a wheelchair (and sits on the floor without it at times), one with hearing aids and an assistive listening device, one wearing glasses, and one in hijab. One teacher has brown skin and puffy brown hair; the other teacher presents Asian. Recess, rest time, more learning, and yoga poses round out the day. Fascinating textures and colors, often supplied by collaged-in bits of found paper (such as ticket stubs and old-fashioned date due cards) fill the pages, inviting readers to look closely. Most of the items are easy to find and count. The characters are rendered in a na�ve, folk-art style with two-dimensional stiffness, and one child's missing front tooth is almost distractingly conspicuous. The final, titular message comes on the penultimate page and is posted on the wall along with a banner saying, "We are ONE community." Backmatter includes the numbers from 11 to 20, with items to count for each. Skills practice and a peek at the school day: a solid way to prepare. (Picture book. 3-6)

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June 15, 2020
Alko brings her signature mixed-media collage art into a classroom setting through this counting tale with a timely and timeless seminal message. Each spread displays items for readers to count as an inclusive cast of students listen to “four stories”; build with “six blocks”; dabble in art, planting, and music projects; strike “five” yoga poses; and clean up. A seek-and-find challenge progresses from spotting one object to 10 before reversing direction for a countdown, culminating in “One Golden Rule” (“Do to others as you would have them do to you”) and “one great day at school!” Ranging from spare to busy, the pages incorporate muted and bold colors and mesh Alko’s stylized drawings and an eclectic roundup of collage tidbits, among them admittance tickets, gift tags, and strands of yarn. Ages 2–6.