Teacher's Pets

This book is an exciting tale of Miss Fry's classroom. Every Monday Miss Fry lets one student bring in something special. Each student in her class decides to bring in a pet from home, but these pets all have an annoying habit. The good natured Miss Fry lets each student leave their pets in the classroom with the stipulation that they take them home at the end of the day, but each student forgets their pet. Finally, at the end of the school year Miss Fry manages to get each student to take their pet home. One pet remained in the classroom at the end of the year, Moe the cricket. Miss Fry took Moe home to live in her garden. This book is perfect for a teacher who wants to introduce the idea of show-in-tell in the classroom. Teacher's Pet's is a cute story for early elementary students up to third grade. This book does a great job of depicting a kind and gentle teacher that all students like. The illustrations in the book do a great job bringing the book to life.

Oh, to have a teacher like Miss Fry! She's warm and friendly, and really likes her students. She announces that there every Monday, a student can bring a pet from home-- but only for one day. Interestingly, and perhaps accidentally, two things happen: 1. Each kid forgets to bring his or her pet home, and 2. The pets tend to have some annoying habit (e.g., Winston's chicken wakes the neighbors, Patrick's tarantula hide's inside his mother's slippers, Roger's mom complains that his cricket, Moe, makes too much noise, and Alia has a homework-eating goat, and Amanda a destructive dachshund.) 3. On Tuesday, the kids' parents invariably call to ask Miss Fry if she wouldn't mind keeping the pets a little longer! Miss Fry, for her part, is invariably welcoming: He's welcome to stay as long as he likes," she says to Roger's mom about the "chirruping" cricket. Soon, there's a whole pet store of animals in Miss Fry's room, and as they're added Noah-like, one by one, she feeds and looks after them. There are some nice little twists: The cricket does an amazing somersault; for example, and one girl's pet resembles an old, dirty sponge (probably because that's what it is!). Although Miss Fry is generous to a fault, author Dodds shows that she also has her limits. When summer finally comes and the kids take home their pets, Miss Fry looks appropriately weary, observing "no more pets." However, one is left behind. Roger has left Moe, and with him, a note: "Dear Miss Fry, Please take care of Moe. He likes you best. Roger" With her trademark "How lucky for me," (which manages not to sound facetious), Miss Fry takes Moe to her home, where he serenades her with chirrups from her garden. How lucky for Moe! This is a gentle, humorous and warm book that helps one appreciate animals and those teachers who become our favorites. The ink, watercolor, and colored pencil pictures are vibrant, expressive, and very engaging. "Teacher's Pets" is a superb book for reading in the classroom or at home, and I estimate the age range at toddler to early elementary school (perhaps through about grade 3).