Peter Catalanotto

Second-graders Emily and Vinni return in this follow-up to Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri's The Secret Lunch Special, contending with an autumn season replete with pumpkins and pumpkin activities. Emily thinks she's had enough, until Mr. Marvin's class is given the task of making jack-o-lanterns in their own images. When Vinni misses Emily's birthday party that weekend however, and her temper at being left out leads her to damage Emily's creation, it looks like pumpkins have caused show more real trouble...

Although I cannot personally identify with feeling that there are simply too many pumpkins and pumpkin-themed things around - what can I say? I love autumn, and everything that goes with it - I did appreciate the humor of Emily's frustration, in No More Pumpkins, that "everything was pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin." The story here is engaging, and captures the ups and downs of primary school friendships. I look forward to the third and final title in this 2nd Grade Friends series, The Veterans Day Visitor, as this book, discovered when I was seeking Veterans Day stories, is the entire reason I'm reading the series to begin with. Recommended to beginning chapter-book readers, particularly if they enjoyed The Secret Lunch Special, or appreciate school-based stories. show less

When Emily's grandfather Pop-Pop learns that she and her best friend Vinni don't really know what a veteran is, he decides to visit their second-grade classroom in honor of Veterans Day, and share his story. Emily, who loves Pop-Pop, is worried that his narcolepsy will cause him to fall asleep in the middle of his presentation, and that the other students might laugh at him. Fortunately, when this very thing happens, Emily steps in to cover the situation, and all ends well...

I happened upon show more The Veterans Day Visitor while looking for children's stories about Veterans Day, and realizing that it was the third and final book in co-authors Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri's 2nd Grade Friends series, decided to read the first two (The Secret Lunch Special and No More Pumpkins) first. I found the story here, which is inspired by Schembri's own father, quite engaging, and think beginning chapter-book readers will as well. The story could be used to start a classroom discussion about veterans, but also about narcolepsy. The afterword gives more information about Schembri's father, who was quite active in veteran affairs, and who campaigned for the Purple Heart stamp that was eventually produced by the US Postal Service. Recommended to anyone who read and enjoyed the first two entries in this series, and to beginning chapter-book readers looking for stories about veterans and/or Veterans Day. show less

Second-grade student Emily has a trying day in this beginning chapter-book, embarrassed by her new bus - it's a "little" bus, one that performs better in snow - and distraught at leaving her lunch bag behind. Her rambunctious fellow pupil, Vincetta Louise, frightens her with talk of a "ticket," but this turns out to be a slip that will allow her to charge her lunch as the school cafeteria. Fortunately for Emily, who dislikes what she is given to eat, Vincetta (Vinni) is there again, and this show more time her interference produces something worthwhile...

Published in 2006, The Secret Lunch Special is the first title in co-authors Peter Catalanotto and Pamela Schembri's three-volume 2nd Grade Friends series, followed by No More Pumpkins and The Veterans Day Visit. It was this last, which I discovered while looking for Veterans Day stories, that prompted me to pick it up in the first place, as I do not like reading series out of order. The story here is brief but engaging, and addresses a gamut of emotions that a fairly shy second-grader might experience, when confronted with a day where almost everything goes wrong. Recommended to young readers who are just getting going with chapter-books, and who enjoy school stories. show less

Surreal - as one would expect from a bored Dalmatian. Poor thing, inside all day. I love the art, especially the B&W theme (reminds me of the [b:Please, Mr. Panda|22323647|Please, Mr. Panda|Steve Antony|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409185225s/22323647.jpg|41718259] series). I love that it's not a wordless book, but has many wordless pages. I believe some children's imaginations will be lit ablaze by this, esp. if they're prompted, 'What does your dog dream about? Or your cat? Or a show more wolf? Or a penguin?' show less