Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! [Hardcover]

ANN STAMPLER (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A funny cure for new-school jitters.

Emily Beekman has a problem. School is starting and she doesn’t want to go. Nothing changes her mind until Mom promises to go with her—every day. Emily discovers right away that school is really fun—there’s an art table, a big jungle gym, and a friendly person named Teacher Sue. Emily is quickly ready to say goodbye to Mom. But Mrs. Beekman tries some pretty silly ways to stay at school, no matter how many times Teacher Sue says” Go home, Mrs. Beekman!”

A reassuring comic antidote for any kid—or parent!— who has ever had to overcome separation anxiety.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Emily is heading off for her first day of school, and she insists that her mother stays with her. "Forever!" "I promise….And a promise is a promise. I'll stay at school for a million gazillion years with my Emily right on my lap." Mrs. Beekman is true to her word. Even when her daughter discovers that school is actually a fun place, the woman won't leave. Teacher Sue nicely but firmly insists repeatedly that it's time for all adults to go home, but Mrs. Beekman is not deterred. She resorts to disguising herself as a coatrack and, on subsequent days, as a big purple hat, green dog, yellow bird, and oversize hula hoop. Finally, Emily kindly convinces her mother that she wants to be in school by herself. Careful readers will note that Mrs. Beekman's disguises match items Emily mentions in the book's first pages. The illustrations work perfectly with the text. The characters' facial expressions are spot-on, and Carrington captures the feel of kindergarten, the love between Emily and her mother, and a child's first steps toward independence. This enjoyable if slightly familiar tale would work well for one-on-one sharing or storytime.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In a hilarious reversal of the starting-school panic, Emily Beekman makes her mother promise to stay with her in her preschool classroom, but when Mrs. Beekman does stay and stay, Emily cannot get rid of the hovering, embarrassing, silly grown-up. The story’s fun is in the details, and the clear, neon-colored comic scenarios show the child reaching out, bonding with her teacher, finding friends, and enjoying the play, whether she is making monster cartoons, learning songs, or climbing the jungle gym. Still, Mommy will not go home: “A promise is a promise,” and her appearances in class are increasingly wild: she dresses up in a big green dog suit, pretends to be a coatrack, and even dangles from a helicopter over the playground. Finally, Emily makes her own promise that she will have a wonderful day, without Mommy. Full of love and nonsense, this picture book nicely captures a young child’s dramatic, first-school-day feelings. Preschool. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (July 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525469338
• ISBN-13: 978-0525469339
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,685,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Separation Anxiety, September 7, 2008

By 

Nancy Adler-jones "psychotherapist and life c... (Woodinville, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! (Hardcover)

Ann Stampler does it again! A beautifully written children's book. This time, she tackles the theme of separation anxiety. Creatively, she deals with this topic from the point of view of the parent. This allows the child to attribute their own fears to another, which helps them work through their feelings without having to own up to them directly.
Many parents will also identify with Mrs. Beekman, who through many wonderful disguises, attempts to stay at school with her child all day.

As I drive to work in the morning and see the anxious faces of both parents and kids as the kindergarden bus arrives, I wish I could hand out this book at each bus stop.

As a psychotherapist, I will be recommending this book to my clients who are struggling with "the first day of school".

Nancy Adler-Jones, MSW

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids aren't the only one's that don't want to be alone!, September 6, 2008

By 

Colleen D. Gallagher "teachingheart net" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! (Hardcover)

The night I got this book was the second day of Kindergarten for my son. We sat down and read it together. In the story, Emily Beekman refuses come out of the fort she's built in her bedroom and go to the first day of school unless her mother promises to stay at school with her forever. Mrs. Beekman promises. Nevertheless, unfortunately, even after Emily forms a bond with her teacher, makes new friends, and is perfectly happy to go to school on her own, Mrs. Beekman just won't leave.
I immediately made a connection with the mother in the story. Unlike the child in the story my son was soooooo excited about the first day of school. Me on the other hand, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to let him go to this unusual place all by himself. I connected with Mrs. Beekman's need to watch over her child. She became a fly on the wall at her daughters's school by transforming herself into a coat rack, a hat, a hula hoop, and some other interesting things. As we read, I could relate. Those first few days of school had me wondering how my son was doing, if he was listening to the teacher, if he was having fun, and if he missed me. Much to the dismay of the teacher in the story, Mrs. Beekman saw it all in her daughters class! That lucky Mrs. Beekman!!!!
The book is adorable. The story entertained both me and my son. I think this would be a great gift to give to a parent who has a child going into grade K. Not many (if any) back to school books display how a parent may have a more difficult time letting go of a child; than the child has of letting go of the parent. Ann Stampler does a super job of making this story flow. My son of course thought the story was funny and I thought the story had a hidden truth in it about how parents have anxiety too about the first day of school.
I also think this would make a fun read for the first few days of school. It would be fun to have the class draw a picture of their parents at school with them. You could discuss: How would your mom or dad hide if he or she came to school? Would you like your mom or dad to be at school with you everyday?

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calming Separation Anxiety, September 25, 2008

By 

Stanley D. Wilson "Stanley D. Wilson, Ph.D." (Mill Creek, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! (Hardcover)

This lovely and useful children's book was recommended to me by a fellow mental health professional. As a psychologist treating adults, I sometimes deal with parents who unconsciously transmit their own anxieties to their vulnerable, impressionable children. Go Home, Mrs. Beekman! is a playful antidote to this problem, using humor to show parents and children alike that the "first day jitters" can be handled successfully and that children will adapt quickly to a new school if parents can model letting go. The author, Ann Redisch Stampler, skillfully teaches both parent and child to accept the change that separation brings and she does it without making either feel ashamed. The book is really fun and funny and humor, after all, is the highest defense. The book is beautifully illustrated by Marsha Gray Carrington, who brings the story to life with lots of color and characters who captivate the reader's imagination (I particularly enjoyed seeing Mrs. Beekman not so cleverly disguised as a large green dog in her attempt to sneak into her daughter's class). I won't hesitate to recommend this book to parents who are about to send their children off to daycare or school for the first time. Bravo!!!