The Rattlesnake Who Went to School - Hardcover

Strete, Craig Kee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399235728 ISBN 13: 9780399235726

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 2004

Synopsis

Cowboy the rattlesnake is terrified to go back to school--especially since everyone is afraid of him--until a little girl befriends him with a big bag of bugs, in a delightful picture book that explores the true meaning of friendship.

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K–Crowboy is worried about the first day of school so he decides to turn himself into a rattlesnake. No one in his family seems to notice, even though he slithers down the stairs, wraps himself around chair legs, and refuses to eat anything a snake wouldn't eat. Although he expects his teacher to be afraid of him, she reassures him by saying, "Don't worry, Crowboy. You'll make friends." Surprisingly, a classmate finds him amusing and tells him that she wants to be a rattlesnake, too. The last spread shows the two of them, in human form, playing together on the jungle gym. This story is just right for youngsters who are anxious about this new experience. The flowing illustrations done in chalk pastels beg readers to look more closely at the details as they enter the boy's imaginary world. The images and the lines of text twist and turn through the pages just like a rattlesnake. Children will enjoy this clever mix of fantasy and reality.–Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr.1. Crowboy is afraid of starting school, so he imagines himself as a fierce rattlesnake who slithers downstairs to breakfast, crawls under the seat on the school bus, and hisses, hides, and shows his fangs in class--until he makes friends with a girl. The fear of the first day is universal, and children returning to school after vacation as well as newcomers will welcome the fantasy of being a hissing monster. Crowboy is an Indian kid, and the bright pastel and acrylic illustrations show a realistic Southwest desert setting as well as geometric patterns on the rattlesnake monster in the busy, diverse classroom. In the end, Crowboy has fun with his new blond friend, who grosses him out with a lunch bag of what rattlesnakes like to eat. When they play together on the jungle gym, the pictures show Crowboy as his mischievous and smiling self as the snake slides away. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0399235728
• ISBN 13: 9780399235726
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Cravath Lynne Avril