Miss Brooks' Story Nook

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

Missy loves Miss Brooks' Story Nook before school. Missy usually takes the long way to school to miss being tormented by Billy Toomey, the neighborhood bully, but this morning it is raining and she was late. During the story time, the lights go out and Miss Brooks has the group make up their own stories. Everyone seems to have a story except Missy. She eventually begins a story about an Ogre which is developed as her classmates ask her questions. The story develops into a secret weapon that Missy uses to bolster her confidence in facing Billy T. before school the next day. This is a multi-layered story that delivers the inspiration for writing stories, ways to develop plot, supports school media specialists and provides a thread about bullying. Emberley's colorful, scanned watercolor painted illustrations show the multi-cultural class having distinct personalities and wardrobe choices. There is lots of white space on each spread that puts the various characters in the forefront. A good combination for the back and forth dialogue of the children while they are creating a story. Great for story times and discussions on the theme of bully prevention or storytelling.

Overall Book Score: excellent