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Tucker's Four-Carrot School Day

by Susan Winget



      Susan Winget has created greeting cards, calendars, and other delightful country home products, but Tucker's Four-Carrot School Day is her first picture book. As a story, it's sweet but predictable - Tucker is fearful of starting school but ends up having a great time on his first day. Still, for all its predictability, it's a story preschoolers never tire of hearing when they can see their "first day" looming on the horizon. They like being reassured that first days are almost always fun. The illustrations are sweet, bright, and lively. The characterization choices made by Ms. Winget reflect her background in greeting cards and can be a bit bewildering for quizzical readers - my 5-year-old wanted to know why Tucker was a stuffed bunny while Scout was clearly supposed to be a "real" dog. And why did Millie (a kitty) walk on two legs and hold things in her "hands" while Scout (the puppy) ran around on four legs and held things in his mouth when it was clear they were classmates? It is a bit unusual to see personified stuffed toys representing children alongside personified animals but though it resulted in some mild puzzlement, it didn't spoil the story. For a young child approaching that first day of school, it's a sweet comforting story with bright cheery illustrations - definitely a keeper.

The Book

HarperCollinsPublishers
May 2005
Hardbound
0060546425
Age Level: Ages 2 - 5
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Jan Fields
Reviewed 2005
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© 2005 MyShelf.com