April Fools', Mr. Todd

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: May 24, 2017

Review

The eighth book in the "Judy Moody and Friends" series and an easy purchase if you have readers of these books; this is a highly-illustrated, readable series perfect for emerging readers. The visually appealing illustrations are in the style of the Peter Reynolds originals and are indistinguishable from those; they match the story perfectly.

In this book, April is coming and with it April holidays like Earth Day and April Fools' Day, which also happens to be Judy Moody's birthday. After Judy's beloved teacher Mr. Todd explains April Fools traditions from around the world, Judy decides that she will prank Mr. Todd. Judy does come up with a prank and it's a cute one, nothing mean-spirited or inconsiderate, and Mr. Todd pranks Judy too, ending the book with a sweet surprise for her "forgotten" birthday. The book offers a few gentle pranks through other characters in the book and also mentions the anxiety that can come when waiting for someone to pull a prank; this can be a great point for discussion. The books in this series don't have to be read in order.

Overall Book Score: very good