Children's Review: A Fine, Fine School

{on Goodreads}

Mr. Keene is an excellent principle and loves seeing all of the students learning every day. One day he calls the school together for an assembly and announces a big decision: that school is going to be held on Saturdays, too! Pretty soon, Mr. Keene has the students coming to school every day of the year! The students and teachers begrudgingly show up each day, but it's not until Tillie shows Mr. Keene all of the learning that she's missing outside of school that he realizes there are other important things to learn in life.

When I'm home for the summers, I pick up a stack of library books each week to bring to my babysitting jobs. This was in my pile this past week and it is just perfect for the start of summer. The lesson here is that children learn so much outside of school, that not everything is about lessons in the classroom. To our main character Tillie, teaching her brother to skip and learning to climb a tree are just as important as knowing her numbers and letters, and she's right. We often get caught up in the idea that children miss out on learning during the summer, but it's important to remember that there are other kinds of learning that are just as exciting and essential in life. As someone who loves school, this is a good personal reminder that the holidays are a perfect time to explore other interests and chase different dreams.

Recommended for ages 4-8 years (Preschool-3rd grade)

Bottom Line Rating: 5/5

{P.S. Sharon Creech is the author of numerous books for children of all ages. I encourage you to check out her other works!}

Title: A Fine, Fine School

Author: Sharon Creech

Illustrator: Harry Bliss

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003

Price: $12 (on Amazon)

ISBN: 0060007281

Source: Public Library

Format: Hardcover