Slowpoke

February 1, 2002
Gr 1-3-Teddy is always last on line and the last in the water. When his class goes on a field trip to the zoo, he is the last to board the bus. His friend Robert suggests that he practice running every day without daydreaming so that he won't be such a slowpoke. The next day, Teddy runs from home to the bus stop, but on the way he waves to the tree doctor, picks up a quarter he finds, etc., and is again last on the bus. On Thursday, he leaves home so late that he doesn't have time to dawdle and he makes it to the bus in four minutes. From then on, he runs whenever he can. On Saturday he gets to the store in 12 minutes instead of the usual 20. He uses the spare minutes to read Runner magazine. In the end, he has earned the new nickname of "Slow down." Charts with a start and a finish time show the child's progress for each day. The plot has a nice flow to it, and the watercolor illustrations extend the story. However, the elapsed-time concept is difficult to follow and will need to be explained before children read the book. The related activities at the end are a little clearer. Also, it's unfortunate that the author seems to make the point that faster is better, without showing any balance between children being punctual and taking time to enjoy the little things in life around them.-Wendy S. Carroll, Montclair Cooperative School, NJ

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.