Hillary Homzie has written several books for tweens, including
Things Are Going to Get Ugly, The Hot List, and
Queen of Likes for Aladdin Books of Simon & Schuster. She
lives in Napa, California, with her family.
Jeffrey Ebbeler has illustrated more than forty picture books,
including Melvin the Mouth and Tiger in My Soup. He
has worked as an art director, done paper engineering for pop-up
books, created large scale murals for schools and churches, and
sculpted puppets. www.jeffillustration.com
Ellie May wants desperately to be flag leader in class this week,
but can she figure out how to please her teacher? Ellie May hasn't
been flag leader in months even though she waves her hands
enthusiastically every morning to be picked. Her class is learning
about U.S. presidents for Presidents' Day, and Ellie May figures
that if she can act like a president, maybe Ms. Silva will pick
her. Chopping down a class plant so that she can tell the truth
about it, as George Washington supposedly did, doesn't work. (Ava,
know-it-all-turned-friend, and Ms. Silva both explain that the
cherry-tree story is a myth.) Taking apart the class pencil
sharpener because Abraham Lincoln liked taking gadgets apart
completely backfires. When she owns up to her actions though, she
is surprised by the results. The classroom is ethnically
diverse-Ellie May, Ava, and Mo appear black (notably, Ava has a
dark skin tone); the teacher presents as white. While the text
clarifies that presidents were just people, the uncritical
glorification of historical presidents by black kids (who would
have been treated poorly by them) seems a little off-key. For more
of her antics, see Ellie May on April Fool's Day. An appended note
on the Pledge of Allegiance omits mention of "under God"; it's
followed by a note on Presidents' Day. Like a Clementine of color,
Ellie May is a protagonist readers can feel for even if they don't
share her preoccupations.
-Kirkus Reviews
Second-grader Ellie May is a live wire with a good heart and less
good impulse control. In Ellie May on Presidents' Day, she's
desperate for her chance to be class flag leader, but when she
tries to impress her teacher with her devotion to George
Washington-style honesty, she ends up insulting her classmates
instead. In Ellie May on April Fools' Day, our heroine is jealous
of Mo, the class funny guy, and wants to pull off a great prank
herself; unfortunately, she takes things too far. Ellie May is a
sympathetic heroine in her yearning for recognition ("Mo's funny.
Ava is smart. You're artsy. I just want to be something too"), and
the episodic chapters make for approachable and humorous early
reading. Spirited, cartoonish black and white art has an
appropriately chaotic edge in its interpretation of Ellie May's
diverse classroom and mixed-race family. Since the relevant holiday
gets decent coverage in each book, this offers the possibility for
solid curricular use as well as an amiable new series friend.
-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book
Ellie May wants to be flag leader, but she hasn't been
chosen in months because she gets easily distracted. Presidents'
Day is next week, so she desperately wants to be chosen! Mrs. Silva
explains that presidents are people with character who do the right
thing, and Ellie May decides to impress her teacher with her
knowledge. First, she tries to reenact Washington and the cherry
tree by karate-chopping a cactus, but soon she learns the story is
a myth. She tries to be honest but ends up being hurtful, so she
writes an apology letter because Washington wrote letters. Finally,
she learns Lincoln loved gadgets, so she takes apart the pencil
sharpener but only makes a mess. Will she ever be chosen? Readers
who find themselves anxious and easily distracted will root for
Ellie May and the intent behind her actions, even if her plans
don't always turn out as she hoped. Homie also includes notes on
the Pledge of Allegiance and Presidents' Day. Simultaneously
published with Ellie May on April Fool's Day.-Booklist
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
