Once Upon an Ordinary School Day [Hardcover]

Colin McNaughton (Author), Satoshi Kitamura (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A celebration of extraordinary teachers!

The boy's breakfast is ordinary, his walk to school is ordinary, even his thoughts are ordinary. But when he goes to his classroom and sits down at his desk, his day begins to change - a new teacher, Mr. Gee, bursts into the classroom with an extraordinary idea that challenges all the children to use their imagination. Suddenly an ordinary day is turned topsy-turvy, and the boy is inspired in a way that will change him forever.

The rollicking words and pictures celebrate the unexpected in this tribute to great teachers and students everywhere.

 

Once Upon an Ordinary School Day is a 2006 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–An ordinary boy awakens to an ordinary school day. The story opens with drab scenes depicted in shades of gray that turn to Technicolor several pages in, with the arrival of a new teacher in a yellow suit. Little does the ordinary boy know that his indistinguishable routine is short lived, thanks to Mr. Gee. The creative-writing lesson begins with his instructions to listen to the music and let it make pictures in your head. Imaginations run wild; the text and illustrations become more expansive. Scenes fill with color and the words are more descriptive. The point of the story is obvious: the ordinary boy exudes, "that was the best lesson ever." Deftly rendered cartoon drawings convey the expressive gestures and transformation of the characters and scenes. Readers will giggle at the beginning and end as the young protagonist performs his daily bathroom routine before school and bed. An excellent selection to start the creative juices flowing or to enliven an ordinary day.–Marian Creamer, Children's Literature Alive, Portland, OR

Review

"Pays tribute to inspirational teachers everywhere with a tale of an 'ordinary' child whose dormant imagination blooms in the classroom. Young readers (or teachers, for that matter) wondering what school is really for may get a clue here." -- Kirkus Reviews

"As a parable of the awakening imagination, the book takes flight, just like the birds soaring into the blue on the endpapers." -- The Horn Book

"An excellent selection to start the creative juices flowing or to enliven an ordinary day." -- School Library Journal

"This story is a good read-aloud." -- Reading Teacher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (February 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374356343
• ISBN-13: 978-0374356347
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music lover's delight, October 26, 2005

By 

Sonja Holzman "kids book lover" (chicago, il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon an Ordinary School Day (Hardcover)

This is a great story about the power of music. A new teacher comes to school and introduces the "ordinary" children to music. Some of them love it, some of them don't but the main character falls in love with it. He imagines wonderful, colorfully drawn scenes inspired by what he hears. The music changes this ordinary boy's black and white world to color, a transition that is not lost on the reader.
I loved that the book is honest about how music does not have the same transformative powers for everyone but how it does have the ability to touch people's lives. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is direct and quick to read. My 6 and 8 1/2 year olds really enjoy this book. One caveat - the word "pee" is used as part of the story, but if you don't like that, it is easy to skip it in the places it is used.

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachers make the day!, September 25, 2010

By 

Don and Sandy Simpson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Once Upon an Ordinary School Day (Hardcover)

Teachers open the world of imagination for children. This book promotes writing and individual expression. It is a simple, but inspiring, book for both kids and their teachers. The illustrations are detailed, colorful and fascinating.

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful teaching tool, February 6, 2007

By 

S. Stovall "susie sunshine" (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Once Upon an Ordinary School Day (Hardcover)

This is one of my all time favorite books to teach with. I teach elementary school and it's a great way to get kids into writing. The illustrations are amazing and it's one of those books that not many people are familiar with, so the chances that they kids have heard it before are smal.