Read All About It! (Hardcover)

~ Laura Bush (Author), Jenna Bush Hager (Author), Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: Miss Libro, Respect Yourself, Always Raise Your Hand

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—This book begins on an odd note, as Tyrone Brown proclaims: "I'm a professional student and class clown." A primary-grade audience will be clueless as to what "professional student" means, and adults will be puzzled as to how a child can fall into that category. Tyrone explains that he enjoys science and math, but that books are "so last year" and that "the library is a boring place" with "stinky pages." He sits with his back to his teacher and colors on his shoe as she reads. Disappointed that the class is listening to the story instead of being awed by his "spaceship" (a paper airplane), Tyrone decides to listen, for a change. He not only discovers that he likes stories, but also that the characters emerge from the books. When Miss Libro reads about a pig, it pops off the page, and the children fall in love with it. However, after she finishes reading the book, the porker vanishes, and the children find all of the characters in the library. Tyrone's abrupt conversion is unlikely, as is his equally sudden ability to indulge in flights of fancy. Brunkus's bright and cheerful watercolor art features a multiethnic cast with expressive faces and energetic body language. Celebrity authorship and intriguing art will draw children to this entry, but for stories that combine fantasy with more logical plot development, stay with Carmen Deedy's The Library Dragon (Peachtree, 1994) or David McPhail's Edward and the Pirates (Little, Brown, 1997).—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Tyrone loves math, lives for science, and is king of the playground. But books—well, he doesn’t really care for them. When his teacher, Miss Libro, reads aloud, Tyrone usually finds something better to do, like making paper airplanes. Then, during one of the story sessions something happens: Tyrone starts listening. And once he listens, incredible things occur. Ghosts and dragons fly out of their books and into the classroom, and Ben Franklin stops by. But best of all is when a pig pops in (perhaps Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web?); Tyrone is crushed when the story is over, and the pig disappears. A search for the pig ends at the library, where the students also find all the other characters they have met before. A combined effort by First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna, the author of  Ana’s Story (2007), this purposeful tale gets a real kick from the art. Brunkus, the illustrator of the Junie B. Jones books, offers highly colored pictures that find fun in classroom situations, both real and fantastical. Even nonreaders may be prompted to give books a try. A portion of the proceeds goes to Teach for America and the New Teacher Project. Grades K-3. --Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061560758
• ISBN-13: 978-0061560750
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #241,846 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading is Cool, April 25, 2008

By	J. E. Stephens "Jeanne" (Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank you, Laura and Jenna for using your celebrity to promote reading! I have taught reading for the past 16 years. I love to read and I love books. I try to pass this love to my students. The younger a child can start to appreciate books and reading the better.

Sometimes little boys are a little more difficult to win over to the benefits of reading. This book shows not only little boys, but all children that reading is cool.

Buy this book for your children and grandchildren. Buy it for your friend's children and grandchildren. It is a great baby shower gift because you can't start too early teaching a child to love reading.

59 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Read All About It".....A Great Children's Book!, April 22, 2008

By	Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon "Heavenly Productions... (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

I, along with my 6 year old son, had the distinct pleasure of meeting First Lady Laura Bush and Jenna Bush this evening at the 92nd Street Y in New York City,as well as purchasing "signed copies" of their new children's book. They read their book entitled "Read All About It" along with a slide show of the illustrations from their new book. It was a wonderful experience to listen to them read their book and understand the characters that they created. They also discussed the importance of literacy and education. A portion of the proceeds from their book will benefit two national teacher programs: Teach for America and the New teacher Project. This evening's event was moderated by Vogue magazine writer, Julia Reed.

"Read All About It" is about a boy named Tyrone who excels at math and science, as well as playing on the monkey bars but absolutely dislikes the thought of reading books. He believes that books are boring until one day he actually listened to his teacher reading a book to the class about an astronaut. At that moment Tyrone's whole world turned upside down and books that his teacher read to the class actually came to life. Tyrone then finds himself on an adventure along with his friends in quest of finding a pig that has become their friend. He then learns that the pig and all the characters that had come to life were found in the school's library. Finally, Tyrone's teacher explains to Tyrone you never know who you are going to meet in a book.

51 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great idea to get kids interested in reading!, April 23, 2008

By	Cynthia Mcquay "momof4" (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What an excellent way to interest kids in reading! I have 2 boys, who are reluctant readers, and they will love this story! Thanks for keeping kids and literacy at the top of the list!