Tom Goes to Kindergarten (Hardcover)

by Margaret Wild (Author), Denise Shanahan (Author), Wendy McClure (Editor), David Legge (Illustrator) "Every day, Tom and his mother and Baby went past kindergarten on their morning walk..." (more)
Key Phrases: Polar Bear

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Legge's (Bamboozled) fun-filled watercolors are as infectious as Australian author Wild's lively tale of a young panda's first day of school. Tom's parents are always too busy working to play monsters or astronauts with him. But on the first day of kindergarten, when Tom won't let go of his parents' legs and his teacher invites his parents and Baby to stay and play, they join right in. They listen to a story, play dress up, paint pictures and build castles in the sandbox. By day two, Tom is ready to be independent, but his parents want to stay. As Tom's mother reluctantly goes home to wash the windows and weed the garden, and his father heads to the office to "sign a lot of papers," even Tom feels sorry for them. Illustrations of the papa panda wearing a newspaper hat and a fish tie while dancing a sailor's hornpipe in his office will tickle youngsters' funny bones, as will Legge's inspired portrayal of the grown panda bears enthusiastically singing "I'm a little teapot short and stout." This humorous story about adults rediscovering the satisfaction of creative play will likely allay any anxieties children may have about starting kindergarten. Ages 4-6. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Tom can't wait to join the cubs building spaceships and making monsters in kindergarten. When the big day arrives, however, the young panda suddenly finds he doesn't want his parents and Baby to leave him, and his understanding teacher, Mrs. Polar Bear, invites the whole family to spend the day. Tom's parents have such fun playing dress-up, painting pictures, singing "I'm a Little Teapot," and listening to stories that they arrive early the next morning and plan to stay. Mrs. Polar Bear pointedly asks, "Don't you have to go to work?" Sadly they do, but they manage to find ways to carry a little kindergarten excitement into their daily routines. Large, bright, whimsical watercolors make this a perfect book both for group storytelling and for one-on-one sharing. Readers will enjoy discovering the many humorous details, like the bottle of "Hienz Bamboo Sauce" in the pandas' kitchen and Baby's stuffed toy-not a teddy bear, but a human child. A happy, exuberant addition to any picture-book collection.
Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807580120
• ISBN-13: 978-0807580127
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #395,551 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KinderKids will love this story!, August 23, 2000

By	Victoria C Smith ( Bakersfield, CA ~ USA ) - See all my reviews

As a kindergarten teacher, I'm always looking for new books about starting school, and this one is definitely going to be a hit with my class. The characters are bears, but not the brown furry ones seen in most picture books ... Tom is a Panda, and his teacher is Mrs. Polar Bear. David Legge's watercolor illustrations are delightful and bright, and sure to hold children's attention, as will the plot itself.

Tom is really looking forward to beginning kindergarten, but on the first day of school he has that sudden moment of panic that many children have, and grabs his parents' legs. Mrs. Polar Bear invites the whole family to stay, and EVERYONE in Tom's family enjoys the first day of school. Mother, father, and baby LOVE the kindergarten activities -- especially making sailor hats. The next day everyone is a little sad that Tom is ready to say goodbye when he arrives at school. Mother and baby go home and play pirate, and father goes to work, where he closes his door and sings a sailor song before hurrying home to find out what Tom did on the second day of kindergarten.

This is a great book for parents to share at home with their children, to help soothe the minor worries most children have about starting school. In the classroom, this book will be the starting point for a discussion on expectations about school, and will help make children comfortable as they explore their new surroundings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Wait for Kindergarten, July 23, 2000

By	s. Hennecke (Lodi, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is the story of a little boy about to start kindergarten. He is excited at first, but as his parents start to leave him at school he gets nervous and talks them into staying with him. The parents have an even better time at kindergarten than little Tom. The next day the parents want to stay at kindergarten because it is so much fun, but Tom tells them they need to go to work. The parents do leave and go to work, but have already learned a lesson about how fun and important playing is. I bought this book as a gift for my son who just started kindergarten. I think it helped ease some of his fears about starting school. It also reminded me that I need to take more time to play and not just get my work done.This is a wonderful book with beautiful illustrations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enticing view of Kindergarten for kids and adults, January 5, 2001

By	Andrea Johnson "Librarian, mama, book lover" (Vernon Hills, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This book is really adorable and not what you expect. The realistic-style illustrations of the Panda family and Mrs. Polar Bear make the goofy details (like Baby's stuffed human doll and the "All New Bamboo Cookbook") all the more funny and surprising.

Readers will love the sight of Mr. and Mrs. Panda singing "I'm a little teapot" and Mr. Panda wearing a sailor hat in his office.

This book is delightfully original, exuberant, and has a great subtle humor. Lots of fun!