A Play's the Thing [Library Binding]

Aliki (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Miss Brilliant is full of ideas. With her students she celebrates everything: teeth, corn, mummies, spiders -- and plays!

Only José isn't interested in "Mary Had a Little Lamb," or being a Brilliant Player, or even his surprise role.

But as José learns about drama and tension and working with his classmates, he finds that he, too, has his own special place in Miss Brilliant's class and in her heart.

Aliki has created a memorable teacher and a class full of personalities that all readers will want to join.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 1-3–Aliki's latest production explores how an experienced teacher uses a student-led performance of Mary Had a Little Lamb to help one of the children deal with his bullying behavior. When Miss Brilliant's class decides to put on a fractured version of the story poem, José must learn to work with his classmates and overcome his antisocial tendencies. Children will readily identify with the variety of characters and dynamics that populate this class. The students represent a smorgasbord of nationalities and often make references to their cultural heritages. The format of the book resembles comic strips with blocked pictures in various sizes used to contain the action and conversation bubbles. An independent narrative runs beneath these boxes. This text needs the dialogue to flesh out the plot. It is in the conversation bubbles that José's defiant attitude and self-awareness are evident. Using the book with a group may prove difficult because children will not be able to appreciate the nuances of the boy's expressions and his deliberately unkind actions. This is, however, the type of work that children will be drawn to again and again because they recognize their world so aptly captured in both word and art. Each time they revisit, they will find something new in the colorful cartoon illustrations that prove that Aliki knows her audience.–Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. A graphic novel of sorts for primary-graders. Miss Brilliant, the lively teacher of a multiethnic class, likes to celebrate everything. After a test, she wants to celebrate with a play. The responses range from "A play!" to Jose's "Not another play!" In fact, Mary Had a Little Lamb doesn't seem promising, since, as one student notes, there are only two characters. But part of the fun is spinning ideas off in different directions, so when the play is mounted there are enough characters, costumes, audience members, and refreshments to give everyone a good time. Unfolding in comic-book panels and boxes, the story is full of sprightly energy. Each of the 13 kids in the class is pretty well defined, especially the brooding Jose, who melts when his mother makes it to the play. This isn't for reading aloud as there are too many voices, but children will enjoy it more than once; with so much going on, they'll find something new each time. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060743565
• ISBN-13: 978-0060743567
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,533,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aliki is the author and illustrator of more than fifty books for children that are treasured by readers all over the world. Her many well-loved titles include My Visit to the Zoo, My Visit to the Aquarium, My Visit to the Dinosaurs, Wild and Woolly Mammoths, Tabby, and Those Summers. Aliki lives near the Globe theater, in London, England.

In Her Own Words..."Aliki grew up in Philadelphia in a big Greek family where everyone was busy creating and sharing their activities. She knew from the time she was in kindergarten that she wanted to bean artist, although music was also a natural talent. She was encouraged throughout her early life by her parents and by teachers she will never forget."She graduated from the Philadelphia Collegeof Art and started a career in advertising art. After she married Franz Brandenberg, Aliki continued her career in his country, Switzerland, where they lived for three years. It was there that she wrote and illustrated her first book, The Story of William Tell, which was published in England. When they moved to New York, Aliki wrote and illustrated My Five Senses--the book that changed the direction of her career and her life.

Although she had never thought of being a writer, Aliki has been making books ever since. Children's books, she says, are a combination of two things I love: words and pictures. I also love the privacy of books--both reading them and making them. Aliki writes fiction, in which she can express her feelings, and nonfiction research books about subjects she's interested in and wants to know more about. Each book is a new challenge; each is different, she says. The subject directs the way I illustrate a book, the same way friends bring out different parts of us. The challenge is to get the words right and then to make pictures that expand and enhance their meaning.""Besides her own books, Aliki has illustrated many written by Franz Brandenberg and other authors. Her two children are also in the arts. Jason is a filmmaker and Alexa is a children's book author-illustrator. They appear in almost all of her books as cats, mice, or themselves.

Aliki loves music, theater, cinema, museums, children, her cat, Nefertiti, and working in her garden in London, where she lives. She travels frequently to the U.S., Greece, Switzerland, and other parts of the world, though most of the time she is alone in her studio with the books she is working on--and Mozart."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Positive, October 3, 2006

By 

read-to-kids - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Play's the Thing (Hardcover)

My [...] old keep asking me to read this book. It's very entertaining. I like the way it provides such a positive image of the classroom ... a creative teacher and children working together to put on a play for the parents along with the "tension" of a bully who learns something from the process. There's a narrative that runs alongside illustrations where characters talk cartoon-style with bubbles. Only on a page or two did I find this a bit difficult to keep up with. I think the details this extra dialog provide make the story more exciting and allow my kids to identify with the characters better. We really enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much chatter; best for older kids and strong readers, August 5, 2006

By 

Quickhappy "quickhappy" (Big city, big country) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Play's the Thing (Hardcover)

Although the illustrations are lively, this book confounds its audience with too many details and too much chatter. Every page is replete with chatter from the characters. This constant buzz distracts from the storyline and makes the book a chore to read out loud. It is best suited to strong, older readers who will enjoy the book like a comic book. These children can take the time to absorb all of the myriad details.