Harry Allard (1928–2017)

Miss Nelson is a teacher whose class of young pupils is particularly rambunctious and resistant to structure and discipline. Miss Nelson is a very sweet lady, and finds it impossible to successfully manage the children’s instruction. When Miss Nelson doesn’t show up for class one day, the students are excited with plans to be EXTRA mischievous in her absence. Until Miss Viola Swamp introduces herself as Miss Nelson’s substitute. Viola Swamp is NO FUN. She’s ugly, for one, and she show more wears an ugly black dress and boy, is she MEAN. She makes them work all day, she skips story hour, and assigns entirely too much homework. The children long for sweet Miss Nelson, and set out to search for her. They consult with a detective (who is no help at all), they travel to Miss Nelson’s house to look for her, but run as fast as possible in the other direction when the see Viola Swamp coming around the corner. When they arrive at school the next day, the children hear footsteps down the hall, expecting the witch, Viola Swamp; instead, to their delight, a sweet voice greets the class, and the students welcome her back with open, loving arms. They missed Miss Nelson, who refuses to answer questions about her previous absence, telling the children that her whereabouts were her “little secret.” That night, when Miss Nelson arrived back home, she hung her coat in her closet, right next to—gasp!?—an ugly black dress, which looks incredibly similar to the black dress worn by Miss Viola Swamp. When she crawls in bed for the night, Miss Nelson sings and smiles to herself, whispering “I’ll never tell.”

I would love to read this book aloud to a group of children. Since the book never explicitly says that Miss Nelson was posing as the mean witch Viola Swamp in an effort to make her students more appreciative of her kind nature, it would be incredibly interesting, I think, to observe the students react to the black dress in Miss Nelson’s closet at the end of the book. This book carries the underlying message that kindness should not be mistaken for weakness, and that you shouldn’t take advantage of people in any situation just because you can. The story places importance on being thankful for and appreciative of people who treat others kindly; and implies that there are consequences when you are disrespectful and behave inappropriately. You may end up getting just what you deserve—a mean, witch of a teacher like Viola Swamp!

I would enjoy reading this book with a group of students, following with an open discussion. A brief discussion of literary elements could be included, but this is too fun a story to be taken too seriously. I feel it would be an injustice to the author’s intended purpose to dissect it to death. show less

The students at Horace B. Smedley School were at it again! Only this time, the kids acting up weren't in Miss Nelson's Room 207, but on Coach Armstrong's football team - a team that hadn't won a single game (or scored a single point) because they refused to practice. The Smedley team were the worst in the whole state of Texas, and an embarrassment to the entire school community, from Principal Blandsworth to old Pop Hanson the janitor. When Coach Armstrong has a nervous breakdown, it falls show more to sweet Miss Nelson to step in - as always - and set things right! With the help of Miss - that is to say, Coach - Viola Swamp, of course...

This hilarious third and (sadly) final adventure featuring Miss Nelson and her dark doppelganger has all the hi-jinks and disguises one has come to expect from Smedley School, with a surprise ending that most readers will never see coming! As with the first two books, Miss Nelson Is Missing! and Miss Nelson Is Back, the combination of Harry G. Allard's humorous narrative with James Marshall's droll cartoon-like illustrations makes for a real winner here. If only Miss Nelson Has a Field Day weren't the final book featuring these characters! show less

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall is a picture book that explores the central themes of consequences and gratitude. This story follows a teacher and her misbehaving class. The students in room 207 would not listen or settle down for their kind teacher, Miss. Nelson. When their kind teacher disappears, a terrifying substitute teacher, Miss Viola Swamp, appears and enforces strict discipline through consequences.
The authors convey these consequences by showing the show more juxtaposition from a kind teacher who just wanted the students to listen, to a teacher who was mean and gave piles of homework, would not let them talk, and threatened the students if they misbehaved. At the end of the book, the students show clear character development by changing their behavior, and Miss Nelson comes back demonstrating that they learned from their mistakes.
The author's illustration design instills emotional impact with unease, with Miss Viola Swamp looking like a scary witch. This visual representation reinforces the lesson that kindness shouldn't be taken for granted and serves as a powerful reminder for students about the value of a supportive teacher, especially when faced with a harsh alternative. show less

“Miss Nelson is Missing” is one of my favorite childhood books. The illustrations (by James Marshall) are such an important part of the story, especially in the last frame when the reader can see the dress of “Miss Viola Swamp” hanging in Miss Nelson’s closet. It’s also interesting to note that both characters share the same pink, round cheeks: another clue to the surprise! I also just adore the plot itself. I like that the students, the other main characters, go through such a show more drastic change of acting up in the beginning to being so relieved to have Miss Nelson back in the end that they behave wonderfully. In such a short story, Harry Allard teaches a valuable lesson in appreciating your teachers. I think this message is a great thing for every student and teacher to read! show less