The Boo-Boos of Bluebell Elementary

K-Gr 2--Charlee sounds the alarm over an extremely loose tooth, Patrick suffers the attack of a splinter, Roxanne experiences a surprise nosebleed, and Gus requires a Band-Aid for a broken heart. Even Principal Pettycoat sheds a tear over a painful paper cut. The bell has not yet rung and Bluebell Elementary's school nurse, Miss Peatree, is already up to her ears in visitors. With brown skin and gray hair, this school nurse is a cheerful and attentive caregiver for every patient amidst the hilarious chaos unfolding in her office, swiftly yanking the loose tooth, tweezing the splinter, stemming the flow of the bloody nose, and soothing the homesick heart. However, class is still in session and students continue stumbling into Miss P's office with more maladies. Wallace's lively, rhyming story is a riot, full of comedy and drama. Miss P's day is long, as is this story, but humor will keep readers fully entertained from the morning bell to dismissal. Farrell's expressive, comics-like watercolor and ink illustrations energetically convey the topsy-turvy atmosphere. Stylized fonts and speech bubbles are incorporated into the illustrations to colorfully voice the theatrical complaints of the students. On each spread, Miss Peatree's growing visitor log chronicles patients cared for and the status of their ailments. This book is a unique addition to the school story genre for its original concept, as attention is not often given to the happenings of a school nurse's office. VERDICT A silly, standout school story, sure to delight readers of all ages.--Emily Brush

Dressed in clogs and bright yellow scrubs, brown-skinned Miss Peatree clicks her heels as she readies for her day as the nurse of Bluebell Elementary. She also remains a grounded, reassuring presence as the walking wounded (including the school principal) arrive, each crying "Miss P! Miss P!" Seriocomic couplets by Wallace (A Home Named Walter) and stylized, ever-vivid watercolor-and-ink vignettes by Farrell (A Cub Story) present familiar, non-emergent issues and their backstories in distinctive typography (a sneeze is detailed in gooey, green effluence). Charlee's loose but stubborn tooth becomes the book's running joke, while Gus's homesickness reminds readers that nurses also dispense emotional first aid ("It feels like I might fall apart/ I need a Band-Aid for my heart"). Readers can track the visitors via a yellow log on the left side of each spread (the "status" column includes "mortified" and "indignant"). It's a funny, occasionally yucky, and much-needed celebration of an unsung member of school community, who gets some well-earned, canine comfort herself at the end of a busy day: "After all, we all need tending./ Even those who do the mending." Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Nov.)