Summary
Zack thinks his second grade year in school will be boring like the other years have been until his teacher, Miss Smith, walks in. She seems different from his other teachers. When she reads out loud from her book, the storybook characters come to life--appearing in the classroom. Zack looks forward to story time each day and is happy to be in school. When the principal substitutes for Miss Smith, he doesn’t know what to do when the characters leap out of the book he is reading from so he runs for help. The students start reading from the book while their teacher is gone and all kinds of characters invade the classroom and then the school. When Miss Smith drives up, she can see the problem. When she enters the classroom, the characters listen to her and are quiet. She starts finishing each story and as she does so, each character goes back into the book.
Reference
Garland,
M. (2003). Miss smith’s incredible storybook. New York, NY: Dutton
Books.
My Impressions
This book impressed me because of the unexpected things that kept occurring in the plot as I read. I was not expecting the characters to jump out of the book as Miss Smith read; nor was I expecting the class to be transported to the deck of a pirate ship or into the woods with Little Miss Riding Hood. The students truly become immersed in the book, and whether it is a literal immersion or an imaginary immersion, I love the way it is written about and illustrated in this book. I felt especially surprised after Principal Rittenrotten (I love his name) leaves the students unattended and mayhem breaks out in the classroom as characters from The Three Bears, Alice in Wonderland, Humpty Dumpty, The Wizard of Oz, The Three Little Pigs, The Headless Horseman, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Jack Horner, Sleeping Beauty, and other nursery rhymes and fairy tales appear in the classroom and throughout the entire school.
Professional Review
With her spiky red-orange hair, leather jacket and "The Clash" pin, "Miss Smith seemed very... different from Zack's other teachers. But the day went along like every school day Zack could remember—until Miss Smith said, 'It's story time.' " The teacher opens a leather-bound volume with a filigree cover, and the pages begin to glow. As Miss Smith reads, fantasy characters appear and the classroom transforms into a pirate ship or a fairy-tale forest until the story is complete. One day, Miss Smith is late and the school principal picks up the magic tome. When a dragon emerges, he flees, and the giddy children pass the book around. Before long, familiar characters like the Three Bears, Headless Horseman, Cowardly Lion and Mad Hatter are on the loose, and Miss Smith has to get them under control. Garland (The Mouse Before Christmas) styles petite Miss Smith as a punk-rock throwback, but he doesn't draw any connection between her distinctive looks and the storybook's powers. Miss Smith seems like a wayward character from some other tale, and child character Zack barely registers on the plot. Likewise, visual icons like Alice and Bo Peep may be present, but without their attendant narratives, they lack substance. The author acknowledges classic children's literature without igniting enthusiasm for it. Ages 5-11.
Review of the book miss smith’s incredible storybook [Review of the book Miss Smith's incredible storybook]. (2003, June 8). publishers weekly. Retrieved from
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-525-47133-2
Library Uses
This book could be used as an introduction at the beginning of the school year. It could also be used to introduce a unit on nursery rhymes or fairy tales. It would be effective to read this book out loud and say at the beginning (or the second time through) “Keep an eye out for any nursery rhymes, fairy tales, or books you know as I read this book.” Have the students write them down or share them in a discussion. What books’ characters would you like to have appear? An activity would
be to have the students find a book whose characters they would like to appear.
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