David Goes To School.

Author/Illustrator: David Shannon

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-545-29251-1

Imagine that... an elementary school student is having a tough time staying out of trouble in class.  We all know the list of rules that are expected to be followed in the classroom; not to mention how exhausting it can be to follow every single one!  In the book David Goes to School, David reminds us just how much easier it is to pass time when you have a little fun.  Unfortunately for David, this must be done at the expense of constant reminders to settle down and ultimately... detention.


Throughout his school day, David finds himself being admonished for his tardiness, his inability to be patient, and a handful of other childish acts.  David appears to be nothing more than a distraction for the rest of the class.  At the end of the day the teacher still gives David a pat on the head and rewards him with a star- a positive reinforcement that, as a teacher, I know well.  Simply because a child is a bit misbehaved does not mean they are not trying.


Before reading this book, the illustration on the cover implied mischief to me and instantly reminded me of myself in elementary school.  While reading the story beyond the cover, each page continued to be a flashback to my days in P.S.45.


I would not describe myself as being a bad kid, but my name was frequently on the “bad” list along with the other regulars.  I rarely made it to the “good” list, with it's set of regulars. Each day one of the “good” children was chosen to be the monitor and write the list.  I especially remember this clearly from the fourth grade where my teacher, Mrs. Friedman, eventually assigned me a seat that was off to the side, isolated from the rest of the class.


I remember my teachers constantly telling me to pay attention; many reports of parent teacher conferences were about my talking and daydreaming in class.  It seems like David and I have many things in common.  This is one of the numerous reasons why I enjoy this book and love to share it with my students.


From cover to cover there is no wonder why author/ illustrator David Shannon received a Caldecott Honor.  Each page is a timeless portrait of any classroom, on any day, in any school in America. In many of the pages I can see myself in David’s place being politely scolded for my excited behavior. With seasonal decorations, a globe, and a poster board of the alphabet, it is also a tiring reminder of how much effort we teachers put into the decorating of our own classrooms.