Zip, Zip...Homework [School & Library Binding]

Nancy Poydar (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

Beloved author Nancy Poydar takes a sympathetic look at learning to get organized in this buoyant picture book about homework. Ziiip! Riiip! Cliick! Violet's new backpack is perfect. It has pockets that zip, snap, and strap. It's just what Violet needs to hold her very first homework assignment--or is it? An anxious student discovers that it's more important to tell the truth than to keep it zipped up in this timely tale.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Poydar once again tells a school story with a recognizable predicament. Delighted with her jazzy new pack on wheels and thrilled that she can finally put it to good use, Violet accepts her first homework assignment as though it were an offering from on high. But after insisting that her entire household accommodate her need for quiet, she is horrified to discover that the homework sheet is not in any of the compartments of her zippy pack. She proceeds to tell her mother that her work has been completed, but this lie escalates into others the following day. The girl's teacher gently extricates her from the unmanageable situation and turns it into a teachable moment about the value of telling the truth. Poydar's charming illustrations are bright and upbeat, and the repetition of certain sounds—"zip," "snap," "stick," "click"—will make this a catchy read-aloud. For discussions about honesty, combine this story with Patricia C. McKissack's The Honest-to-Goodness Truth (S & S, 2000).—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT
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From Booklist

Violet, eager for the new school year to begin, convinces her mother to buy her a fancy new backpack, complete with wheels, zippers, snaps, and straps. She’s sure it will come in handy when her new teacher, Ms. Patience, begins giving homework. But when the homework arrives, Violet spends so much time deciding which pocket will be best for transporting the paper that she accidentally leaves the assignment at school. Poydar, a former teacher who has created numerous picture books about elementary school life, is right on target with Violet’s concerns, and she presents Ms. Patience’s lesson to Violet (concerning the importance of being honest and owning up to mistakes) in a gentle way that won’t be lost on young readers. Brightly colored gouache-and-pencil illustrations add a warm, friendly touch to this reassuring story that will be useful for beginning-school-year story sessions and as a character-education discussion starter. Preschool-Grade 2. --Kay Weisman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823420906
• ISBN-13: 978-0823420902
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 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: #1,943,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a charming book that your young school age child will love! ZIP! RIP! CLICK! SNAP! Where's the homework?, September 18, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zip, Zip...Homework (School & Library Binding)

Violet was all excited because when she was out shopping with her mother she found the most perfect rolling backpack for school. She wanted something to put all her homework in so it wouldn't get lost. It was pink, had green flowers all over it and had lots of pockets that could be zipped up. She wheeled her pack to school every day, but no homework. The other kids glanced at her as if she was a bit silly, but she was only lightly teased by Jim when he said to her, "Be sure you don't lose it!" There wasn't much chance of that, but in any event Violet was going to be prepared!

At home she had a nice yellow desk with a lamp, paper, tape, pencil hold and crayons all set up just in case she got homework. Every night she stuffed her pack practicing for when she really got some. She was even pretending to "be Ms. Patience and herself at the same time." The next day there was some homework and Violet was so happy she had trouble deciding which pocket to zipper it up in. Now things were getting really exciting and she was prepared, but things suddenly got very upsetting. When she went to get her paper out of her beautiful rolling pack, it was nowhere to be found. What was Violet going to tell Ms. Patience?

All children lie at one time or another and need to face the consequences, even if it is a difficult thing to do. The author, a former teacher, dealt with this issue very nicely in this very popular book. I liked the realism in this book and chuckled a bit when I saw Ms. Patience had a tattoo on her ankle and when Violet had "ziipping, riiipping, cliiicking, and snaaapping dreams all night long" because she fibbed. This is a charming book that your young school age child will love!