Monday, September 8, 2008

We Like Kindergarten

We Like Kindergarten
Clara Cassidy pictures by Eloise Wilkin
Western Publishing Company, 1965


As a tribute to one of my son's BFFs who just started kindergarten this month, we've been reading this title daily. Even though it was a childhood favorite for me, the boy has taken it on as his own because the main character looks scarily similar to the aforementioned BFF. During reads, we even have to incorporate her name, the name of her sister and all their animal names. Soooo cute. I can't think of a better book about a child entering into his/her first year of formal education. Sadly though, I doubt kindergarten today is as carefree and playful as it seems in these pages. After all, the boy's BFF's mother says the BFF is already getting homework. HOMEWORK!?!

All the boys and girls go into the kindergarten.
Miss Hall is our teacher.
She plays the piano.
We sing, "Good morning to you."
Michael feeds our fish.
Susan feeds our turtles.
Someday it will be my turn to feed them.


So if you want to wax nostalgic about those ancient days when kindergarten meant singing "Farmer in the Dell" and making clay animals (kinda sounds like preschool to me), check it out. You can't go wrong with Wilkin's illustrations anyway, so it's a win, win. Maybe you can read it to your kindergartner in between running their multiplication tables and teaching them E=mc2.

Also by:
The Wonders of the Seasons
Birds
Wonders of Nature

7 comments:

  1. Ohhhh, how we love this book. It's mine from when I was preschool/kindergarten age, and now my three-year-old son loves it, too. But who doesn't love Eloise Wilkin? We'll keep our taped-up copy in use for a long time. :)

    Amy

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  2. Just found you and how appropriate that you would be reviewing this book that I loved from my own kindergarten days over 30 years ago. My copy was adopted (along with a whole stack of other Little Golden Books titles) by my son and he enjoys it too. (Husband doesn't like the illustrations, but I say he has no taste! LOL)

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  3. such a great book and great illustrations... (soooo wrong heather hubby!:)

    both your kids have awesome taste!

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  4. I loved this book when I was little. I would simply love having a copy for my kids...I must start looking.

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  5. what a cute book! I had not heard of this one before.

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  6. I love this book. I just came across it recently, thought it looked familiar.. when I picked it up I found that I knew the words without reading them. That is how much I must have loved it as a child. A classic.

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  7. While looking for a book for my son, I came across this book, which was my favorite (and only book I had as far as I was concerned)! My name is Carol so I always felt this book was mine, all about me! Lol I believed that so much I forgot the real title and always called it "Carol Goes to Kindergarten"! Anyways, it brought a warm and fuzzy memory back, and I'm glad I came across it! :)

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