Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? [Hardcover]

Audrey Vernick (Author), Daniel Jennewein (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2010 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Your buffalo is growing up. He plays with friends. He shares his toys. He's smart! But is he ready for kindergarten? (And is kindergarten ready for him?)

Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? is a hilarious look at first-day-of-school jitters from author Audrey Vernick and illustrator Daniel Jennewein.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—As the title indicates, this is a silly book about the first day of kindergarten with one's own buffalo. The analogy here is that kids react and behave differently, and that there is a place for all of them in school. The story prompts readers to remind the buffalo that finger painting is fun and it's okay to get messy; those hooves could create a masterpiece. Buffaloes (and children) learn how to get along without using their horns. "Cooperating and taking turns are both Very Big Deals in kindergarten." This wacky picture book, with its bold cartoonlike illustrations of a buffalo that snorts, dances, and makes faces, may help apprehensive youngsters to be more at ease about going to school. "Everyone's special in his or her own way. That's the kind of thing you learn in kindergarten." Vernick's amusing tale will prove handy as a first-day-of-school book recommendation for children and teachers alike.—Lindsay Persohn, Crystal Lake Elementary, Lakeland, FL
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From Booklist

Gearing up for the first day of kindergarten can be a stressful affair, but the base-level implausibility of this book should add some laughs while reassuring children that they are, in fact, ready for the big leap into school. By transferring the subject from a child to “your buffalo,” the book dodges preachiness as it lays out some nice lessons about what to expect. Chalky drawings of a big cartoony buffalo show that although he may be the only kid in class with a mane, horns, and a hump, there’s all sorts of things that make him unique and special. Just the thing to calm those night-before nerves. Ed: OK in Older Readers? Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Balzer & Bray; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006176275X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061762758
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Audrey Vernick writes fiction and nonfiction for kids and teens. She is a two-time recipient of the New Jersey Arts Council's fiction fellowship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even more lovable than Snuffleupagus, September 10, 2010

By 

Brimful Curiosities (WI) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? (Hardcover)

A big, backpack wearing buffalo makes his way to kindergarten for the very first time, walking hand-in-hand with his friend, a little girl in pigtails. His teacher looks slightly worried about her newest bovine student, but buffalo eventually wins her over along with his classmates. Even though he is shy at first and looks different from everyone else, he tries to do his very best. No, he doesn't exactly fit in -- he eats the schools flowers, smashes a little chair, gets carried away painting, and regurgitates his food (ew!) -- but he is a good role model otherwise. Buffalo follows all those important rules of kindergarten like caring and sharing and teaches his classmates that "everyone's special in his or her own way."

What I love about this book is the lighthearted tone and the creative text. It's only natural that some kids will be a little anxious on the first day of school, but Vernick cleverly uses a hilarious and big character to help alleviate their fears. Obviously a buffalo could never attend school, yet Vernick makes it seem that it really could happen, especially since the book addresses the reader personally. This out-of-place character grabs your attention and makes his way into your heart.

Jennewein's illustrative style pairs wonderfully with Vernick's story. He uses a black caran d'ache pencil to create a crayon outline look that's perfect for a book about kindergarten. With muted, soft colors and effective use of white space, the layout of the book is crisp and clean. And, I adore how the comical characters make you smile. I mean, just look at that buffalo -- isn't he the cutest, cuddliest, big and lumbering animal you've ever seen? In my book, he's right up there with the lovable Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street! The page where the buffalo is finger painting always makes my daughter laugh, but I think one of the funniest illustrations is on the title page -- the buffalo is head-butting the bus.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful children's book!, June 24, 2010

By 

Linda Joplin (Park City KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? (Hardcover)

If you have a child ready for kindergarten in the next few years, you should check out this book! It touches on all the jitters that young children have when they start school, and the illustrations are amusing and heart-warming! Great children's book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Adorable, July 2, 2010

By 

Tony McManus - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? (Hardcover)

With two little ones headed for kg, this book was an adorable and timely addition to our bedtime reading ritual. Aimed at allaying the fears of pre-schoolers making the big step up, I found it was every bit as comforting for me!