Planet Kindergarten

May 26, 2014
For one brave boy, kindergarten isn’t just a grade—it’s a destination. He gets to school via rocket (one that looks suspiciously like his father’s hatchback), and considers his classmates to be aliens, including two that could be relatives of Cousin It. The boy adjusts to “zero gravity” (“We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot”), discovers that he likes space food, and freaks out during naptime: “Is the room running out of oxygen?” Prigmore’s manic digital art gives a nod to Jetsons-era cartoons, while Ganz-Schmitt’s metaphor will ring true with intrepid readers. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Jennifer Unter, the Unter Agency.

Starred review from June 1, 2014
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.In an imaginative ruse that's maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle-themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and "the boosters fire." They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. "I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates." Though he's afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either-the escape hatch beckons, but NASA's saying gets him through: "FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION"). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers' stomach muscles will ache: "[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot." Prigmore's digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer's crewmates are a motley assortment of "aliens"-among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2014

PreS-K- A child bids farewell to his parents (who are sent back to their own planets) and begins his first mission on Planet Kindergarten. He is joined by intergalactic aliens, all reporting to a commander whose desk is littered with apples. The gravitational field is different: "We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot." Projects include exploration outside the capsule, keeping logs, and, most challenging of all, extended rest time. "Abort mission," the homesick space traveler thinks. Then he remembers what's said at NASA: "Failure is not an option." Before he knows it, he's in splashdown-back home- and training for his next mission. Ganz-Schmitt exhibits a fine mix of sensitivity and pizzazz in approaching the challenges that children face. With the help of Prigmore's superpowered animation-style illustrations, she offers a story that will help readers understand that kindergarten really is out of this world.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.