Snaggle Doodles

Another slice of life from Ms. Rooney's classroom. Each group of children is to make an invention from the pile of stuff given them by Ms. Vincent, the student teacher. After several false starts, the kids cooperate to transform their cereal box, flashlight, wrench, plastic cup, socks, red belt and pink balloon into a robot that is "snaggle doodles wonderful." Again, Giff has revealed the Polk Street School kids to be irresistibly human and disarmingly normal, akin to Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" (Morrow) and her friends. Young school children will read the simple text easily and with appreciation. The black-and-white action sketches add to the fun.