School Rules!

Written by Robert Munsch

Illustrated by Dave Whamond

Scholastic Canada

978-1-4431-8203-4

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

January 2020

When Friday afternoon at school comes to an end and the kids go home and the teacher rushes out to the bank, Cassandra hides under her desk. You see, Cassandra LOVES school. So even when the tattooed janitor mops the floor and the principal locks up, Cassandra doesn't leave.

From School Rules! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dave Whamond

With the school finally empty, Cassandra comes out to enjoy the books and toys and puzzles of her classroom, all with the company of the classroom pet.  At home, though, her family are going a little crazy when they realize Cassandra is not around. After calls to the police and fire department, her father finds her at school. When he asks her what she's doing there, she tells him, "I like school." Unfortunately, that's not good enough for him and he carries her home.

From School Rules! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dave Whamond

Though the next day is Saturday, Cassandra prepares to go to school. But, of course, the school is locked up tight. So what do you do if you want to go to school.  You buy one! At the Everything Store, she requests  "a school with dirty red bricks, a slightly scary principal, a very nice teacher and a janitor with tattoos on his arm." Apparently they can have one sent to her promptly. So when Sunday comes, her parents find "Cassandra's School" in their backyard and a very happy Cassandra enjoying her school, a little different but a whole lot the same.

From School Rules! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dave Whamond

Of course, it's a silly tale. How many kids love school that much?! But isn't it wonderful to think that there are some kids who find such joy at school that they would want to stay there all the time. Robert Munsch's classic silliness abounds and is matched by Dave Whamond's illustrations. From the guinea pig whose facial expressions reflect Cassandra's while he keeps her company, to a household in chaos–there's a cat in a drawer, a dog under the table waiting with a fork, a baby splattered with food and a young girl pulling cheese out of a casserole–and the pajama-clad family reacting to a school in their backyard, School Rules! is a collaboration of wit and wackiness, with a helping of the wonder that comes from finding something that makes you happy. 

From School Rules! by Robert Munsch, illus. by Dave Whamod