*Frank and Lucky Get Schooled by Lynn Rae Perkins

Frank and Lucky’s close friendship leads them into countless adventures in learning, where “school subjects” never see the inside of a classroom.

*Frank and Lucky Get Schooled by Lynn Rae Perkins.  Greenwillow, 2016, 32 pages

Reading Level: Picture Books, Ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 5-8

Frank was a boy without a dog.  Lucky was a dog without a friend.  On a gloomy rainy day they find each other at the animal shelter, and from then on they are best friends.  What’s a best friend?  Someone who goes everywhere with you, shares every experience, and (an important but overlooked aspect of friendship) learns right along with you.  Together, the two friends embark on the adventure of lifelong learning: math (figuring what percentage of the bed Lucky takes up during different phases of the night), chemistry (encountering a skunk), language (making a new friend who speaks Spanish), and much more.

The great thing about “getting schooled” in this book is that we never see a classroom.  Not that classrooms are necessarily bad, but kids should never get the idea that “learning” takes place in “school” and nowhere else.  The whole world is Frank and Lucky’s classroom, and the lessons they learn are different but appropriate for the species (Frank’s perspective is shown in thought balloons).  The author’s exuberant mixed-media illustrations communicate joy in the present day and anticipation for days to come.

Also by this author: Nuts to You

Cautions: None

Overall Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 5
• Artistic value: 4.5