Judith Dufour Love

This high-energy picture book written by Lois G. Grambling and illustrated by Judy Love, is engaging! The narrator, a young boy, arrives at school one morning while holding hands with a giant Pterodactyl. On the first page, he asks "Can I bring my Pterodactyl to school, Ms. Johnson? Can I? Please?" This phrase is repeated every couple of pages after the boy describes a scenario in which an everyday problem could be solved and life much improved if only his Pterodactyl were there with him. show more The first scenario describes a bully, Butch McGurgle (funny name!), threatening to beat him up if he doesn't give him dessert at lunchtime. The illustrations are absolutely great; the Pterodactyl's facial expressions show emotion that fits each situation. One of my favorite illustrations is one with Butch hanging from the Pterodactyl's beak high above the playground as children shade their eyes and look upward. My favorite scenario is when the narrator tries to persuade Ms. Johnson to allow the visit from the Pterodactyl because he'd flap his wings and act like a giant fan to combat the smell of the hot and stinky classroom before summer break. The author uses onomatopoeia with words like "kerplunk," which makes the story fun. I especially appreciate the circular nature of the story, from the first page request for the teacher to allow a Pterodactyl visit, to the last page in which the narrator asks "Can I bring my Woolly Mammoth to school, Ms. Johnson? Can I? PLEASE!?" Students will laugh and talk about what adventures might follow if a Woolly Mammoth were at school. I think most kids from kindergarten through fourth grade would appreciate this modern fantasy picture book. "Dinosaur fans will enjoy the wild scenarios that give the kid wings, power, and fun." (Booklist) show less

“Can I Bring My Pterodactyl to School, Ms. Johnson?” is a book written as a persuasive piece by a young boy wanting to convince his teacher to allow him to bring his pterodactyl to school. The young boy provides specific examples and scenarios of when the pterodactyl would be beneficial to have in the classroom. The boy asks if he could do this because he is under the impression that he has won a pterodactyl from a writing contest he entered; the letter said he would win a prehistoric show more animal. At the end of the passage, the young man says “Hey! Wait a sec… I read the letter wrong. I didn’t win second prize. I won FIRST!”; the little boy realizes he made a mistake in his reading of the letter, but not that it is because he won’t really receive a pterodactyl, but the he thinks he wo something bigger. This contributes to the big idea of the story- be careful when you read or you might not understand exactly what is being said. I personally enjoyed this book. I found it to be entertaining, well written, and accompanied by supportive illustration. In his efforts to persuade his teacher, the young boy in the book creates rather imaginative scenarios. These imaginative scenarios keep readers entertained and attentive to the text. An example of this creativity is “If I brought my Pterodactyl to school and our class won the state spelling championship this spring, which we could, maybe, we wouldn’t have to drive in the school bus all the way to Washington D.C., for the finals. ‘Cause my Pterodactyl could fly us there. (My Pterodactyl would make a terrific FIRST-EVER FLYING school bus!)” In addition to this imaginative plot is supportive illustrations. Throughout the book, the author includes illustrations that accurately depict the thought and actions conveyed in the reading. The accompanying illustration to the above excerpt is a large pterodactyl soaring above Washington D.C. with a back full of children, amazed and happy, about their experience. Lastly, the book is written in a repetitive, structured style. Following each scenario is the line “’Can I bring my Pterodactyl to school, Ms. Johnson? Can I? PLEASE?’” This reoccurring line would be ideal during a read aloud; students would become accustomed to the line and therefore would be able to participate in the read aloud by reading this line aloud as a class when it appeared. The repetitive structure also makes the book ideal for discussion because it is easier for students to follow along with and recall events from. Due to its simple plot and somewhat advanced vocabulary (pterodactyl, vacation, furnace, etc.) I would say this book is best fit for second or third graders. show less

After reading it, I thought the book was a great selection. And then, I listened to the accompanying CD. Let me tell you, the CD makes the book a true gem of a find.

Overall, the book is filled with wonderful poems by a variety of poets, including J.R.R. Tolkien, Nikki Giovanni, Margaret Walker, Lewis Carroll, Agha Shahid Ali, W.B. Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Rita Dove, and X. J. Kennedy, among others. The poems range from the whimsical and the funny to the more serious.

While the show more book itself is wonderful, the CD truly does make this a fantastic read/listen. There is simply something wonderful about listening to Robert Frost read his "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" or listening to Nikki Giovanni tell us "Reasons Why I like Chocolate" and then listening to her read three of her other poetry selections included in this piece: "Trips", "Mommies", and "Knoxville, Tennessee". Equally fantastic is listening to Langston Hughes explain when and why he wrote "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and then go on to read the poem.

Of the selections included on the CD, my absolute favorite was hearing J.R.R. Tolkien read "Frodo's Song in Bree", which was from The Fellowship of the Ring. Another favorite was listening to Joy Harjo read "Eagle Poem", a Native American song.

While the poetry selections included on the CD were wonderful, I found myself wishing that others, specifically Margaret Wise Brown's "The Secret Song" and versus from "The Elephant's Child" by Rudyard Kipling, had been included on the CD.

Overall, however, this book is simply fantastic. show less

After reading it, I thought the book was a great selection. And then, I listened to the accompanying CD. Let me tell you, the CD makes the book a true gem of a find.

Overall, the book is filled with wonderful poems by a variety of poets, including J.R.R. Tolkien, Nikki Giovanni, Margaret Walker, Lewis Carroll, Agha Shahid Ali, W.B. Yeats, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Rita Dove, and X. J. Kennedy, among others. The poems range from the whimsical and the funny to the more serious.

While the show more book itself is wonderful, the CD truly does make this a fantastic read/listen. There is simply something wonderful about listening to Robert Frost read his "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" or listening to Nikki Giovanni tell us "Reasons Why I like Chocolate" and then listening to her read three of her other poetry selections included in this piece: "Trips", "Mommies", and "Knoxville, Tennessee". Equally fantastic is listening to Langston Hughes explain when and why he wrote "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and then go on to read the poem.

Of the selections included on the CD, my absolute favorite was hearing J.R.R. Tolkien read "Frodo's Song in Bree", which was from The Fellowship of the Ring. Another favorite was listening to Joy Harjo read "Eagle Poem", a Native American song.

While the poetry selections included on the CD were wonderful, I found myself wishing that others, specifically Margaret Wise Brown's "The Secret Song" and versus from "The Elephant's Child" by Rudyard Kipling, had been included on the CD.

Overall, however, this book is simply fantastic. show less