In seven chapters, the anthropomorphized animal characters from Mr. Wolfs Class (rev. 7/18) go about their school day. Kids lobby for lockers, conduct a survey to see if classmates prefer baths or showers, and form a club to solve mysteries. (What happened to Azizas Frisbee? Is the girls bathroom really haunted? Does Randy have a crush on Abdi?) Through swift shifts in perspective, each character is shown with personality and depth. Readers meet Mr. Wolfs child; witness the anxiety of a student who doesnt have the money to purchase a birthday party gift; glimpse the life of a retired teacher; etc. The panel illustrations are straightforward and functional, and the subdued color palette spotlights the rainy Pacific Northwestlooking setting. Double-page spreads are used sparingly and to great effect, such as when a cup of coffee is spilled on the teacher and when the birthday celebration is in full swing. Smart foreshadowing, true-to-life dialogue (the internet told me that), and thoughtful, comedic asides make this an engaging and entertaining page-turner. elisa gall March/April 2019 p 91(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In these books, back-to-school jitters give way to smiles, laughs - even a little learning. MAE'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL Written and illustrated by Kate Berube. "I'm not going" is a phrase parents dread this time of year, but a book as clever and friendly as this one may ease the situation. As the first day of school dawns, Mae is holding out, arms crossed, imagining disaster as her mom and dad hustle her out the door, insisting that fun lies ahead. She climbs a tree, where she's joined by a girl named Rosie. Then a "tall lady" climbs the tree too, and tells the kids her own reasons for not wanting to go. She's their teacher, of course - a playful stroke by Berube ("Hannah and Sugar"), whose loose-lined art makes even scrunchy scowls seem delightful. 32 pp. Abrams. $16.99. (Ages 3 to 6) WE DON'T EAT OUR CLASSMATES Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins. Penelope, a young T-rex in pink overalls, wants to be a good classmate. She just has to kick her habit of ingesting her peers, who all happen to be children. Higgins ("Mother Bruce") knows how to make big, scary animals seem vulnerable, lovable and funny, adding a strategic touch of gross-out when our heroine spits her victims back up. But this story of a reformed predator - Penelope changes her ways after a goldfish chomps her finger - is really about empathy. 48 pp. Hyperion. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 8) THE DAY YOU BEGIN By Jacqueline Woodson. Illustrated by Rafael López. Starting a new school year is hard enough. Add in feeling different from your classmates, and it can shake a kid to the core. The incomparable Woodson ("Brown Girl Dreaming") and López ("Drum Dream Girl") extend a reassuring hand in this verbally and visually poetic book that soothes concerns about having the wrong hair, bringing strongsmelling lunches, speaking imperfect English or spending the summer vacation at home. The kids we meet all take a first step toward making the most of school: finding the bravery to tell their own stories out loud. 32 pp. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen. $18.99. (Ages 4 to 8) THE DINOSAUR EXPERT By Margaret McNamara. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. This fourth book featuring Mr. Tiffin's class (the previous one was "A Poem in Your Pocket") takes on both the excitement of a field trip to a natural-history museum and one girl's struggle to feel confident sharing her vast knowledge of prehistoric creatures - especially after a boy informs her, "Girls can't be scientists." Mr. Tiffin to the rescue: He steers her to an exhibit featuring Dr. Brandoni Gasparini, dinosaur expert. As always, McNamara and Karas excel at telling a story that balances facts and feelings. 40 pp. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) BESTFRINTSATSKROOL Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis. Did you know that "on planet Boborp, childrinx go to skrool"? Of course they do! This exuberant follow-up to "Best Frints in the Whole Universe" explains the ins and outs of the little aliens' raucous way of learning (with a little lunch-throwing in the mix). The language Portis has invented for these colorful characters is hilarious and easy to follow - silly perfection, and maybe even an inspiration for little linguists to make up their own. 40 pp. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) GOODBYE BRINGS HELLO By Dianne White. Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman. Starting school also means letting go of the trappings of little-kid life. This wise book bears witness to the transitions that lead up to that big one: growing out of favorite clothes, moving from trike to bike and from crayons to pencils. White ("Blue on Blue") and Wiseman ("Play This Book") keep the tone encouraging and gentle, offering a chance for even the youngest kids to indulge their nostalgia. 40 pp. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 7) TWIG Written and illustrated by Aura Parker. It's tough being a stick insect. You blend in easily - all too easily, as Heidi, the new girl at bug school, finds. When it comes to making friends, long, lean, woody-brown Heidi suffers, because no one can see her beyond her camouflage until the kind spider-teacher comes up with a solution (a scarf). Truth be told, there's not much to the story, but this adorable debut by Parker teems with delicate details, many of them visual puzzles. 32 pp. Simon & Schuster. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) MR. WOLF'S CLASS Written and illustrated by Aron Nels Steinke. This upbeat graphic novel - the beginning of a promising new series - chronicles the activities of a bustling class of fourth graders and their devoted, slightly overwhelmed teacher, Mr. Wolf. Yes, he's a wolf; the students are a host of animals, including a frog, a duck, a dog and a rabbit. Everyone has hands and feet and walks upright, though, and their problems and behavior are strikingly like their counterparts in schools for human children - only funnier. 160 pp. Scholastic/Graphix. $9.99. (Ages 6 to 10) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor at the Book Review.

Gr 2-5-Life in Mr. Wolf's fourth grade classroom is ever changing. Feeling pleased with himself one moment and on the verge of panic the next, Mr. Wolf maintains composure while keeping up with the schedule and dealing with one particularly alarming event. This first book in a new series, based on the author's webcomic, is funny and appealing. Steinke adds hilarity to typical classroom scenarios: rats run away with lunches, and a student asks, "Which do you like better-ice cream or farts?" Children will identify with the distinctly rendered, expressive students. The images are simple and easily understood. With basic dialogue, a soothing setting, and no more than six frames per page, this book is ideal for new chapter book readers and older struggling readers. VERDICT A popular pick for public and elementary schools. Kids will anxiously await the next funny adventure at Hazelwood Elementary.-Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this next installment in the graphic-novel series, fourth-graders become schoolyard sleuths.Even though it is populated with a menagerie of animal characters, Mr. Wolf's fourth-grade class's routine is easily recognizable: There are myriad classroom interruptions, spills, hallway lines, and recess shenanigans. Three classmatesRandy, a pastel pink cat; Margot, a chocolate-brown bunny; and hijabi Aziza, a lavender duckdecide to form a mystery club and vow to find missing playground balls, learn what happened to a beloved teacher, and ascertain whether a bathroom is haunted. As the girls work through solving their cases, the final conundrum culminates at Randy's birthday pizza party, which her entire class attends. Written and illustrated by Steinke, this authentic and charming comic offering is both eye-catching and accessible with its cheery plotlines and emphasis on friendship. The art is clean and bright, with simply rendered panels and clear speech bubbles. Since each volume shifts its lens to different students, this series works equally well as a stand-alone or as read sequentially; for those looking for more capers, a third volume is promised. Young readers should easily self-identify among the variety of animal characters, who encompass a broad spectrum of diversity, including having same-sex parents, dealing with anxiety, and ethnic differences. The last is cued with attire and naming convention, with no discernible attempt to correlate particular animals with particular cultural groups.Familiar, fun, and all-around delightful. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Readers of this congenial graphic novel by Eisner Award-winning Steinke (The Zoo Box) will settle right into Mr. Wolf's classroom as the new teacher and his animal students get to know each other. Steinke's panel artwork presents multiple points of view, juggling Mr. Wolf's anxiousness to have the first day go right with his student Penny's disappearance (kept up all night by her family's new baby, she falls asleep in a box in the library), the grouchy responses of Aziza (a duck who appears to be on the autism spectrum), and the fast friendship that grows between Sampson and Margaret as they sit together on the bus. The animals are drawn in clear lines and full color with just enough detail to make each one an individual. Classroom jargon adds to the genuine flavor ("Level-one voices in the hallway!" Mr. Wolf calls); all of it will be familiar to students of suburban American schools. Without big highs and lows-the only suspense is whether they'll find Penny or not-the story offers calming reading during spare moments waiting for practice to be over, or for the bus to come. Ages 7-10. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Management. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Things continue apace in Mr. Wolf's class, where the anthropomorphized animal students have clicked together like a well-oiled learning machine since readers' first visit to Hazelwood Elementary in Mr. Wolf's Class (2018). A mystery club has formed, and it pursues the secrets behind Mr. Green's disappearance (abducted by aliens? eaten by rats?) and the case of the missing Frisbee, even as the students gear up for an intergalactic birthday pizza party. A warm sense of community pervades the individual and group relationships here, though Mr. Wolf's equanimity is occasionally tested by Abdi, who in turn is frustrated by his teacher's rules. But this is just part of familiar school life, which young readers will easily recognize and invest themselves in. Even the rats turn out to have a good, community-based motive for being such pizza-snatching pests. Steinke's soft, friendly cartooning matches the welcoming tone and makes for good flow through the story, leaving room here and there for nifty visual invention a thought balloon filled with its own panels and story is particularly striking.--Jesse Karp Copyright 2010 Booklist