Cesar Takes a Break [Hardcover]

Susan Collins Thoms (Author), Roge (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—A green iguana who has been left at school during spring break chronicles his escapades in his diary. Without his 25 best friends in Ms. Lee's second grade, Cesar is "a puddle of sadness." Then he discovers other unattended classroom pets, and he relishes tanning under the French fry heat lamp in the cafeteria, playing hockey in the teacher's lounge, and making art in the guinea pig's room. A renegade class-mouse-gone-wild makes Cesar contemplate utter freedom, but minding Peace the turtle's advice, he follows his heart and returns to Ms. Lee's room. Some of Cesar's droll humor and fresh perspectives are interrupted by an unexplained phrase such as "thanks to Daniel's karate kick, I got my own journal and pen." Some forced puns break up the flow as well, as when Cesar encourages hockey players to "give Peace a chance," and later takes Peace to the world (a globe). Rogé's acrylic cartoons emphasize the comedy with bright colors and creative poses. Pair this with Holly Meade's John Willy and Freddy McGee (Marshall Cavendish, 1998) for another tale of escaped pets, this time in the home, or Megan McDonald's The Night Iguana Left Home (DK, 1999) to contrast a pet who decides to leave for the wide world.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

For children wondering what goes on at school during the breaks, a class pet with a big personality offers an eye-opening report. With everyone gone for spring vacation, school seems a dark, lonely place to Cesar the iguana—until he wanders into the lunchroom and meets Sassy, a guinea pig that makes her home with a different class. As it turns out, there’s a full round of recreational activities on tap for the school’s left-behind menagerie, from a basketball tournament to a visit to the library. In simple, thickly brushed cartoons, Rogé depicts a smiling animal cast basking under the french-fry heat lamps, sacking out in the Lost and Found, reading books about one another, and, in general, having a great time. Come Sunday, Cesar has a decision to make: Should he stay free, or go back to his classroom? He opts for the latter, and the vacation stories of the children who return on Monday leave him making more wide-ranging summer plans. This lighthearted narrative closes with a page of iguana facts. Grades 1-3. --John Peters

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402736533
• ISBN-13: 978-1402736537
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,560,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers Will Love Cesar, March 4, 2008

By 

C. Lee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cesar Takes a Break (Hardcover)

Teachers will love this humorous look at school through the eyes of a roaming class pet. When Cesar, the class iguana, decides to explore the school on spring break, he tells his story through a journal that records his adventures and feelings. The format itself is a great model for young journal writers. Teachers wanting to introduce concepts such as voice and word choice will also have a lot to work with here. The end notes include factual information about iguanas; students could find places in the story that illustrate those facts. Besides all this, the book is just a delightful read. The warm and colorful illustrations bring an already engaging story to life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth it, December 16, 2008

By 

Pamela D. Dubois (Suffolk, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cesar Takes a Break (Hardcover)

I am always looking for a book that a boy would like to read, one that has their interests. So many are geared for girls. This was a really good book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cesar's Heart Warming Story, February 18, 2010

By 

Marge (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cesar Takes a Break (Hardcover)

Susan Collins Thoms account of a classroom pet iguana called Caesar who is a "puddle of sadness" when Spring Break leaves him alone and lonely captivates and entertains young readers. They identify with his misery and then with his adventures as he too takes a break.

The illustrations by Roge are delightful and enrich the account of Cesar's escapades. Young readers find themselves involved in his adventures and his decision making as "Back to School Day" approaches.