School Lunch [Hardcover]

True Kelley (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

What will the kids of Lincoln School do without their health-conscious lunch lady? When Harriet goes on a much-needed vacation, the principal, Mr. Fitz, hires cook after cook, each one more outrageous than the next, but none can replace their beloved Harriet. The students – and principal – send postcards, letters, drawings, email, and telegrams detailing the various chefs’ outlandish meals in hopes of convincing Harriet to return. But will this lunch lady leave her tropical paradise to save the day?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Harriet, the cook at Lincoln School, is feeling tired and unappreciated. None of the children enjoy the healthy lunches she exhausts herself preparing and now, she needed a vacation bad! After she departs for a tropical paradise, Principal Fitz hires a series of substitutes, including a hash slinger who provides greasy food complete with flies, a French chef whose rich dishes (all flambé) make the children fat, and a witch who creates cupcakes that bite back. Various teachers attempt to run the kitchen with equally disastrous results. The children write to Harriet imploring her to return, but their pleas fall on deaf ears until the principal sends a telegram stating that the children are no longer healthy. Harriet returns, and from that lunch on, they all ate healthy foods for the rest of their long and happy lives. The plot is mildly amusing, although the joke wears thin rather quickly. The illustrations, done in indelible ink and Luma Dyes, are bright and cheerful and amplify the silliness of the situation. Kathryn Lasky's Lunch Bunnies (Little, Brown, 1996) addresses the cafeteria scenario with humor and less chaos. An additional purchase for larger collections.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. In a kind of dietician's take on Harry Allard's Miss Nelson Is Missing (1977), cafeteria chef Harriet takes a vacation from an elementary school of picky eaters only to return to a hero's welcome. First, a tattooed hash-slinger from a downtown diner steps in, but his greasy food and subpar hygiene quickly grow old. Next comes a French chef who flambees the kitchen and fattens the kids; he is followed by increasingly disastrous substitutes, one of whom brings her own cauldron and serves up things that writhe right off the plate. The epistolary format, with letters, enclosed crayon drawings, and telegrams pleading for the cook's return, will please fans of similarly structured books, like Mark Teague's Dear Mrs. LaRue (2002), and Kelley's artwork exhibits its usual loosely doodled, expressive charm, employing a full watercolor palette to vividly portray both gloppy, horrific meals and healthful fruits and veggies. Use this to lighten up units on nutrition. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823418944
• ISBN-13: 978-0823418947
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 10.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #854,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

True Kelley has illustrated many children's books, including Hazel Nutt, Mad Scientist, winner of the Golden Duck Award for the best children's science-fiction illustrated book of the year, written by David Elliott. School Lunch is her first solo venture for Holiday House. She lives in New Hampshire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, September 1, 2005

By 

Eliza Conde "BBM" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: School Lunch (Hardcover)

True Kelley's delightful illustrations make you hate greasy hamburgers and love healthy food. And watching Harriet in paradise makes the reader want to book a flight to the islands! This is a great tribute to everyone's "School Lunch Lady". A fun read and a timely topic.