Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3
Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech delivers A Smart, Smart School, the companion to the New York Times bestselling and perennial picture book favorite A Fine, Fine School. Beloved characters Tillie, Beans, and Mr. Keene return, with a timely message about the importance of creativity in the classroom.
Mr. Keene runs a fine, fine school. He encourages his students to express themselves through the creative arts: drawing, painting, reading, and singing. Then Mr. Keene’s appendix bursts, and he is rushed to the hospital.A new principal named Mr. Tatters arrives to take his place, and he is a serious man. He does not smile, he does not laugh, and he disapproves of their creative methods of learning. He immediately implements a policy of daily tests and bans songs, flowers, art, and fun! Soon the students tire of constant test taking, and the teachers grow too fatigued to grade any more tests. Thankfully, Mr. Keene heals and when he returns, he encourages his students to balance their creativity with their learning. At the end of the story he places a banner outside of the school that reads: A Smart, Smart School.
About the Author
Sharon Creech is the author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor winner The Wanderer, and the Carnegie Medal winner Ruby Holler. Her other works include One Time, Saving Winslow, Moo, The Boy on the Porch, The Great Unexpected, The Unfinished Angel, Hate That Cat, The Castle Corona, Replay, Heartbeat, Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, Love that Dog, Bloomability, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird, and Pleasing the Ghost, as well as three picture books: A Fine, Fine School; Fishing in the Air; and Who’s That Baby? Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. Sharon Creech and her husband live in Camden, ME. You can visit her online at sharoncreech.com.
Anait Semirdzhyan (A-na-It Se-mir-jian) was born in Kazakhstan and raised in Armenia. Anait now lives near Seattle with her husband, twins, and a shaggy Labradoodle. She studied economics, but art has always been a big part of her life; she spent hours copying Disney characters as a kid. Much later her passion for creating characters and capturing their emotions led her to children's book illustration. Anait joined the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and now most of her time is dedicated to drawing for kids. When not drawing you can find Anait spending time with family and friends or boosting creativity with “Broad Strokes,” her children's books authors and illustrators critique group. You can visit her online at anaitsart.com
