Reviews for Read all about it%21
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
The nation's First Librarian and her daughter team up to present a well-meaning salute to the pleasures of reading. Like so many bright, active boys, Tyrone doesn't "despise" books; he just doesn't "prefer them"—until one day he actually listens during storytime and from then on he's hooked. In fact, when Miss Libro reads now, the characters from her stories physically manifest in the classroom. Brunkus depicts a genially multicultural group of kids, whose eyes widen in amazement as first ghost, then Ben Franklin then a pig pop out of Miss Libro's books. While appealing, the logic behind the characters' appearance never comes clear; the kids' stupefaction at the pig's disappearance at the end of its book is likewise unconvincing. The text displays a keen understanding of the psyche of the nonreading child, but it's unlikely to win any of them over with its muddied message. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of this book go to Teach for America and The New Teacher Project; perhaps those nurtured by these organizations can work on effectively converting reluctant readers. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
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.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
When his homeroom teacher, Miss Libro, reads aloud each day, Tyrone stubbornly ignores each story. He flies paper planes or pokes at his shoe with a pencil. One day, Tyrone actually listens, and he's amazed. Book characters spring to life, right in the classroom, and disappear when the book ends. There are people who will love this book. After all, it addresses a problem seen across the country: many children, especially boys, choose not to read because they see books as dull. The story line of a misunderstood character who learns an important lesson and is eventually able to succeed in school is a common, and often beautiful, trajectory in children's literature. The illustrator is loved for her work with the popular Junie B. Jones series. And the authors! The authors are sincere in their love of reading--plus, they are famous. But good intentions are not the same as a good book. The message here is that something magical happens when readers are drawn into the lives of characters. Ironically, Tyrone, the main character and narrator, never does come to life. We do not empathize with Tyrone because he's a conglomerate of traits that do not fit easily in the same person. To begin with, although Tyrone is a braggart and a self-described class clown, he sounds like Laura Bush. Here is Tyrone describing a chapter-book pig that comes to life in his classroom: "He was dirty and disorganized. He ate the most grotesque combination of leftover school lunches." Tyrone promptly joins his classmates in teaching the pig table manners--not exactly what one might expect of a ruffian who tyrannizes the school. Even Tyrone's age is unclear. Although he struts like a teenager, solves algebraic equations and towers over kindergartners, the books his teacher recommends--among them Curious George and The Cat in the Hat--suggest an audience of five- or six-year-olds, and indeed, when the class gathers at Miss Libro's knee for story hour, they appear to be first-graders. Brunkus's participation notwithstanding, the authors are not willing to let Tyrone be disobedient and difficult the way Junie B. Jones can be. They don't really want him to do his own thing with that pig. Theirs is a world where everything is in its place. Tyrone's mother gardens, his father plays catch, and his genius friend looks like a nerd. In the books his teacher reads aloud, princes save princesses. On opening day, the bulletin board promotes good manners, and the central display in the classroom is always a list of rules: always raise your hand, follow all directions. As Tyrone comes to love books, he loses his spunk, taming the pig of his bad manners--and personality--just as the school has tamed him. Tyrone turns from the class clown to the bearer of moral lessons. In the end, this is the book's central problem. In its world of regiment and order, there is never room for a wild rumpus. Lucy Calkins, the Robinson Professor of Children's Literature at Teachers College, Columbia University, is also the founding director of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and the director of the Literacy Specialist Program at Teachers College. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Tyrone finds reading boring. He's transformed from bibliophobe to dedicated reader thanks to a teacher who reads aloud every afternoon, making the stories come alive. The writing is faux-flippant ("I'm Tyrone Brown and I rule the school...I told her books are so last year"), and the story is preachy and unimaginative. Brunkus's cartoony illustrations breathe some life into the book. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
