I Tricked You

Although Morris like to play tricks and act silly, the other mice at school don't appreciate his antics.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- A pedestrian story about a child's introduction to kindergarten. Morris the mouse gets off to a bad start. He throws his belongings on the floor, yells "Boo!" to the teacher, and ties his classmates' tails together at story time. His behavior is not appreciated by the other students until he comes up with his best trick. Disguised, Morris pretends to be new student Michael, a role model of perfect behavior. As Michael, Morris finds popularity and happiness. He reveals his true identity at day's end, to everyone's surprise and cheers. Good behavior can be hard for children still adjusting to school, and this book does a fair job of addressing that. The text, however, is lackluster, and the colorful cartoon illustrations, while possessing some appeal, don't add the necessary pizazz. Without dealing specifically with the behavior problem, Rosemary Wells's Timothy Goes to School (Dial, 1981) and Amy Schwartz's Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner (Orchard, 1988) offer more fully rounded characters and much more accomplished stories. --Lori A. Janick, Parkwood Elementary School, Pasadena, TX
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.