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Searching... Silver Falls Library | JP KELLEY | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
What will the kids of Lincoln School do without their health-conscious lunch lady, Harriet? When she goes on a much-needed vacation, the principal, Mr. Fitz. hires cook after cook, each one more outrageous than the next, but none who can replace their beloved Harriet. The kids--and their principal--send postcards, letters, drawings, e-mail and telegrams detailing the "chefs" outlandish meals in hopes of convincing Harriet to return, But will this lunch lady leave her tropical paradise to save the day?
Author Notes
True Kelley is a children's author and illustrator. She has a fun-filled watercolor style which includes several in the Let's -Read and Find -Out series. She has also worked on What Makes a Magnet and What the Moon is Like. Her title's include Who was Leonardo da Vinci?, Who was George Washington?, Who was Abigail Adams?, and Buggly Bear's Hiccup Cure.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Harriet, the cook at Lincoln School, is feeling tired and unappreciated. None of the children enjoy the healthy lunches she exhausts herself preparing and now, "she needed a vacation bad!" After she departs for a tropical paradise, Principal Fitz hires a series of substitutes, including a hash slinger who provides greasy food complete with flies, a French chef whose rich dishes (all flamb?) make the children fat, and a witch who creates cupcakes that bite back. Various teachers attempt to run the kitchen with equally disastrous results. The children write to Harriet imploring her to return, but their pleas fall on deaf ears until the principal sends a telegram stating that the children are no longer healthy. Harriet returns, and from that lunch on, "they all ate healthy foods for the rest of their long and happy lives." The plot is mildly amusing, although the joke wears thin rather quickly. The illustrations, done in indelible ink and Luma Dyes, are bright and cheerful and amplify the silliness of the situation. Kathryn Lasky's Lunch Bunnies (Little, Brown, 1996) addresses the cafeteria scenario with humor and less chaos. An additional purchase for larger collections.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In this playful story, a hard-working school cook takes a vacation. Verdant illustrations show Harriet as she sunbathes, reading letters from students describing her lackluster replacements (including a short-order cook, a French chef, and a witch) along with pleas for her return. The hand-written, food-stained correspondence will amuse young readers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
K-Gr. 2. In a kind of dietician's take on Harry Allard's Miss Nelson Is Missing 0 (1977), 0 cafeteria chef Harriet takes a vacation from an elementary school of picky eaters only to return to a hero's welcome. First, a tattooed hash-slinger from a downtown diner steps in, but his greasy food and subpar hygiene quickly grow old. Next comes a French chef who flambees the kitchen and fattens the kids; he is followed by increasingly disastrous substitutes, one of whom brings her own cauldron and serves up things that writhe right off the plate. The epistolary format, with letters, enclosed crayon drawings, and telegrams pleading for the cook's return, will please fans of similarly structured books, like Mark Teague's Dear Mrs. LaRue0 (2002), and Kelley's artwork exhibits its usual loosely doodled, expressive charm, employing a full watercolor palette to vividly portray both gloppy, horrific meals and healthful fruits and veggies. Use this to lighten up units on nutrition. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist