Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can't Go to School!

by Christina Geist, Tim Bowers (Illustrator)

Overview

This fun role-reversal picture book will help reluctant students get excited to go back to school!

It's just another school morning...until Mom, Dad, Grandma, and even Bow-wow the dog BEG the kids to let them come to school, too! Dad can tie his own shoes—why can't he come? Mom is all ready with her brand-new backpack—she's allowed, right? No! Only kids and teachers!

Christina Geist's warm, interactive story is the perfect tool for parents of kids who are reluctant or nervous about going to school. The fun refrain—"Sorry, grown-ups! You can't go to school! Only kids and teachers! Only kids and teachers!"—brilliantly paints school as something exclusive and desirable...which kids can access! Tim Bowers's lively illustrations enhance the fun and heighten the hilarity. This is sure to be a back-to-school classic in many families and classrooms!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524770846
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/16/2019
Series:	Growing with Buddy , #2
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,094,272
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

CHRISTINA GEIST is the author of Buddy's Bedtime Battery. A former television producer and writer, she worked as a marketing director for clients such as AT&T, Bayer Aspirin, International Paper, and Johnson & Johnson. Christina is now principal and strategy director of True Geist, a brand consulting firm she founded. She lives in New York with her husband, Willie Geist, and their two children, Lucie and George.

TIM BOWERS was born in Troy, Ohio, where he began drawing at an early age. His career in illustration grew from his childhood interest in art and an active imagination. Even then, his artwork reflected an ability to tell stories using humorous characters. Tim has illustrated over thirty-five children's books, including the New York Times bestseller Dream Big, Little Pig! by Kristi Yamaguchi and Dinosaur Pet by Neil Sedaka and Marc Sedaka. Tim and his wife live in central Ohio. They are the parents of four grown children and are proud grandparents.

Editorial Reviews

06/24/2019

The creators of Buddy’s Bedtime Battery offer a hyperbolic riff on a common picture-book conceit: parents touting the joys of school to reluctant offspring. As Lady and Buddy’s mother flaunts her pink backpack, announcing, “I’m wearing it to school!” their father eagerly ties his new high-tops. The kids react with a rather flat refrain that’s repeated throughout: “You can’t go to school! Only kids and teachers! Only kids and teachers!” Soon, their grandparents arrive with their dog in tow—all wearing backpacks—and the grown-ups share what they’re most looking forward to at school. After putting the final kibosh on the adults’ plan, Lady comically assuages their disappointment by reassuring them that the grown-ups can pick up the kids at day’s end. A non sequitur brings the tale to a curiously anticlimactic close, as the girl proclaims, “Tomorrow we get to go to work with you!” High-energy art magnifies the story’s message: kids know best. Ages 3–7. (July)

Publishers Weekly

2019-05-08
In a reverse of the back-to-school books featuring teachers reluctant to face the first day, this one spotlights some grown-ups who long to head back to the classroom.

Buddy is back (Buddy's Bedtime Battery, 2016), joined by his sister, Lady, and the two are getting ready for school, but first they have to dissuade some overeager adults. Mom is thrilled with her new backpack; she's wearing it to school, but: "You can't go to school. / Only kids and teachers. / Only kids and teachers." Dad's got new high-tops. He hears the same refrain, as do Grandma, Grandpa, and their dog. Then come the wheedling and whining: "It's not fair." The grown-ups want to play alphabet games, do science experiments, have recess, etc. The kids are apologetic and try to sweeten the disappointment, promising they can go to the playground on the way home. A parting shot raises the adults' eyebrows and may hint at another book: "Don't forget—tomorrow we get to go to work with you!" This topsy-turvy plot may get readers pumped about school, but the funny premise and humor are eroded by the refrain, which gets old long before it stops. Bowers' bright illustrations delight with the characters' expressive faces. Buddy and Lady's family is white; other students are diverse.

While the premise beckons, it may not sustain repeat readings. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews