If Animals Went to School by Ann Whitford Paul, David Walker
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) on May 14, 2019
ISBN: 0374309027
Pages: 32
Genres: Animals, Fantasy
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

If you need a book to show youngsters what they might expect when they go to school, consider this addition to the preschool collection.

Action words on almost every page give readers a chance to chime in. I found the text clunky and hard to read aloud due to the irregular rhyth, and inconsistent pattern of rhyming.

Some of the animals do activities relating to their natural traits: Beaver counts sticks and Goat eats books. Others have no such connection: Bear hogs blocks and Elephant stacks cardboard bricks, but all the animals seem to enjoy themselves. At the end of the day, Beaver is reluctant to go when papa comes to pick him up.

Soft illustrations with mostly white or simple pastel backgrounds would be useful with toddlers learning to identify animals

The author and illustrator have collaborated on similar titles: “If Animals Kissed Good Night,” “If Animals said I Love You,” and “If Animals Celebrated Christmas.”

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Librarian, Old Town Elementary School, Old Town