Synopses & Reviews
Louise the Big Cheese is determined to make the grade in school this year and that means straight As. But she's stuck with the toughest teacher ever. Will Louise make the grade?
Review
andlt;bandgt;Louise the Big Cheese and the Back-to-School Smarty-Pantsandlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;iandgt;Elise Primavera, illus. by Diane Goode. Sandamp;S/Wiseman, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4424-0600-1andlt;/iandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Not to be outdone by her older sister, Louise vows to get straight As in school: "If she could get straight As, everybody would want to be her friend.... She would probably be promoted to college!" But her new teacher, Mrs. Pearl, is not very accommodating ("You can do better, Miss Cheese," she says in response to Louise's efforts). When a substitute teacher, Mrs. Sprinkles, takes Mrs. Pearl's place, Louise is delighted--until she discovers that getting an A from Mrs. Sprinkles doesn't mean as much as getting a B+ from Mrs. Pearl. Louise's lovable imperfections are sweetly matched by her ambitions, as she learns how to live up to her potential. Ages 5and#8211;up.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;, May 23, 2011
Review
andlt;bandgt;K-Gr 2andlt;/bandgt;and#8211;In her latest adventure, Louise Cheese takes an academic turn as she begins second grade. Inspired by her older sister, Penelope, she decides that she can become a Big Cheese not by acting or wearing sparkly shoes but by being a straight-A student. and#8220;If she could get straight As, everybody would want to be her friend. She would probably even get to skip a gradeand#8211;two gradesand#8211;three grades! She would probably be promoted to college!and#8221; Alas, Louiseand#8217;s new teacher turns out to be a demanding taskmistressand#8211;and a stingy giver of As. When the no-nonsense woman is briefly replaced by a laissez-faire sub, Miss Sprinkles, Louise finally earns her coveted Aand#8211;but so do all her classmates. Upon Mrs. Pearland#8217;s return, Louise receives her first report card and begins to appreciate the value of her teacherand#8217;s Bs. With its snappy pace, numerous characters (including a talking dog), and narrative text alternating with dialogue balloons, this tale would work well as a dramatic read-aloud by an adult and/or several children. Watercolor and black-line illustrations energetically depict the irrepressible Louise and host of supporting characters; the scenes representing the childand#8217;s imagination are especially funny. Comiclike endpapers depict female big-cheese and little-cheese smarty-pants, both real and fictitious, and underscore the importance of striving for oneand#8217;s personal best at any age.andlt;iandgt;and#8211;Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VTandlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt; - School Library Journal, June 2011 *STARRED REVIEW*andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
That indomitable diva Louise is back, this time showing kids that hard work is its own reward.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Louiseand#8217;s latest woe is the fact that her goal of getting straight Aand#8217;s is incompatible with her teacherand#8217;s principlesand#8212;Mrs. Pearl never gives Aand#8217;s. But that doesnand#8217;t stop Louise from tryingand#8230;too hard, in fact. Her calling out and doing things without permission only earn negative attention from her new teacher. And her schoolwork? and#8220;You can do better, Miss Cheese.and#8221; After imagining all sorts of tragedies befalling her tough teacher, Louise is pleased one morning to see a substitute. But Miss Sprinkles does not push Louise to do better, accepting mediocrity, and when Louise gets an A along with every other student, it is not the achievement she had envisioned. She actually misses Mrs. Pearl. Goodeand#8217;s watercolor illustrations perfectly capture Louiseand#8217;s sass and attitude, her hopefulness and her frustration. Readers will laugh aloud at the predicaments Louise imagines for the hapless Mrs. Pearl. And parents and teachers alike will cheer at Louiseand#8217;s resolve to do her best.andlt;BRandgt; If only everyone had Louiseand#8217;s work ethic, determination and spunk, and every teacher pushed students to do their best. A timely message for readers on both sides of the desk. andlt;iandgt;(Picture book. 5-10andlt;/iandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;- KIRKUS REVIEWS, June 1, 2011 *STARRED REVIEW*andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
About the Author
Elise Primavera has illustrated more than twenty books for children, several of which she also wrote, including the New York Times bestselling Auntie Claus as well as Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas and Auntie Claus Home for the Holidays. Other titles include Plantpet, a Parents Magazine Best Book and she illustrated Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen which received a 1999 Christopher Award, the 1999 Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature from the Bank Street College of Education, and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award. Newsweek, Sesame Street Parent's magazine, and Smithsonian Magazine selected the book as one of the best of 1998. Most recently Ms. Primavera has authored Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva and Louise the Big Cheese and the La Di Da Shoes both illustrated by Diane Goode. Elise Primavera lives in New Jersey. Visit her at eliseprimavera.com. Diane Goode is the illustrator of more than fifty beloved and critically acclaimed picture books including the Caldecott Honor Book When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant. She is also the illustrator of President Pennybaker and My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life, both by Kate Feiffer; and Louise the Big Cheese: Divine Diva, Louise the Big Cheese and the La Di Da Shoes, and Louise the Big Cheese and the Back-to-School Smarty Pants, all by Elise Primavera. Diane lives and works in Watchung, New Jersey, with her husband, David, and their two dogs, Jack and Daisy.