David Goes to School

Starred review from August 2, 1999
He's b-a-a-a-c-k! And better than ever. The rascal first unleashed in No, David! returns to wreak havoc in the classroom. Whether he's goofing off at the blackboard ("Sit down, David!"), cutting in line at the cafeteria ("Wait your turn, David!") or drawing on his desktop ("That's it, Mister! You're staying after school!"), David is clearly a handful. But when his teacher gives him a chance to redeem himself by cleaning the desks at the end of the day, he rises to the occasion ("Good job, David!") and receives a gold star. Shannon foreshadows trouble right from the title page: the teacher stands in front of her desk, feet firmly planted, arms crossed and looming so large that her shoulders, neck and head don't make it onto the page. As in the previous book, the adult voice provides the text, but her person is confined to the periphery of the action. David, meanwhile, with his round head, triangle nose and wide grin of pointy teeth, is the pinnacle of boisterous boy-energy. His antics take center stage visually while his teacher's words act as the perfect foil for each spread. After David cuts the cafeteria line, for example, the next illustration shows food splattered all over the walls, floor, David and the boy who was formerly at the front of the line; the two boys point at each other and the text reads, "I don't care who started it." The exaggerated shapes and slightly cartoonish poses of an array of students in all-too-familiar situations will have youngsters crowding together over the book at recess. Ages 3-up.

December 1, 1999
K-Gr 3-A pesky though enthusiastic young scholar exasperates his teacher but wins her over with his unexpected charm. Filled with sophisticated stick figures and colorful backdrops, the exuberant paintings depict a boy who's in a class by himself. (Sept.)

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 1999
K-Gr 3 -David is back! In his very traditional school, he is expected to follow all the rules. He can't run in the halls, cut in line, call out, or swing his paintbrush around. Drawing on his desk is the final straw, and although minor punishments have already been given out, it's time for him to stay after school. In a punishment that fits the misdemeanor, he has to wash the desks. He does a stellar job and is rewarded with his teacher's words of praise. David is a lovable character whose emotions flow across his round face. With a minimum of lines, Shannon shows glee, sorrow, anxiety all of the familiar David emotions and those of the other students as well. On one double-page spread where David is looking out the window and letting his imagination roam, he is told to "PAY ATTENTION!" He is, of course, paying close attention to the clouds. Run out and get several copies of this high-spirited school story. Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 1999
Ages 3^-5. We know this kid by now. It wasn't just because of the award-winning "No, David!" (1998). We know this kid because he is our brother or our cousin or our best friend, or us. Now he has to fit his irrepressible exuberance--and his boyishly disgusting habits--into the classroom, with predictable results. Teacher's brief admonitions appear in careful printing on lined scraps from a school notebook; David is the snaggle-toothed, roundheaded kid. And he can't sit down, or come in from recess on time, or remember to raise his hand. When he chews gum, it's the biggest wad you've ever seen; when he isn't paying attention, it's because the clouds outside the classroom window are resolving themselves into dinosaurs and such. Shannon's picture-book-a-clef, with its acid colors and bold, flat planes, can be laugh-out-loud funny or catch-in-your-throat memorable. The spread in which a distressed David, knees locked together, raises his hand (the teacher's line: "Again?!"), or the penultimate image, where David gets a gold star for cleaning all the desks after school, are as emotionally resonant as can be. And we know David turned out all right, because he's making these books now. ((Reviewed August 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2000
With a bit more text but the same brash style, Shannon reveals that his impish protagonist has as much trouble following rules at school as he did at home in "No, David!". The boy's mischievousness and unlimited energy are writ large on his jack-o'-lantern-style face as he goes about the day provoking his teacher's admonishments and, finally, praise.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)