Ms. Spell - Hardcover

Ethan Long created the animated cartoon Tasty Time with Ze Fronk. He is a Geisel Award winner and creator of The Croaky Pokey, the Wing Wing Brothers books and other hilarious works. He lives with his family in Florida.

K-Gr 2—Pink-haired Ms. Spell has a magical stick to assist her students in correctly spelling common, yet tricky words. As she conjures up increasingly wacky scenarios, the classroom becomes more laughingly chaotic. Long's digital artwork is silly, amusing, and colorful. Young readers attracted to the story might possibly remember the mnemonic tips, rules, and other helpful information incorporated into the tale. Endpapers include a list of about two dozen frequently misspelled words used in the story (including there, their, they're), a "how to study spelling words" chart, and additional memory aids (such as "separate has a rat in the middle") and spelling rules ("I before E except after C"). VERDICT This entertaining and instructive story is a good choice for early elementary students, and young English-language learners.—Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA