Hallie's Horrible Handwriting (Hopscotch Hill School)
Reviewed with Valerie Tripp'sThank You, Logan!Gr. 1-2. In the lively, new Hopscotch Hill School series, the kids in the classroom have fun as they learn important lessons from their fabulous teacher. Hallie loves reading, but she has a hard time learning to write. She feels so terrible that she tears up her work. Then her teacher and her kind friends support her and help her develop her skills. It may take a while, but she'll get there. Logan likes taking care of Razzi, the class rabbit; but after she gets a cold and sneezes "big, wet, yucky sneezes," she worries that she'll make Razzi sick. The teacher reassures Logan that rabbits can't catch colds from people but tells her that she must wash her hands and cover her nose and mouth to protect other people from her germs. Allen's energetic full-color illustrations show all the kids in the diverse classroom: Hallie is a pretty redhead in a gorgeous purple outfit; Logan, in muck jeans, splashes cheerfully in the mud. A third title in the series,Bright, Shiny Skylar, centers on an active kid who learns how to focus her energy. The classroom is idyllic, but the problems and their solutions are real; and lengthy appended notes to adults provide excellent advice and suggest activities to nurture children's reading skills and boost self-confidence.Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved