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Summary
Summary
It's his first day at a new school, and Stevie is scared.Who will he talk to at lunchtime? But his teacher says, "It is my fondest wish that you join me for lunch today, Stevie."And with that, a bad day becomes a good one. Miss Perry always has a new fondest wish--something new to read, sing, celebrate. But then an awful thing happens: Miss Perry dies in a car accident, and everything is suddenly sad and complicated.Yet Stevie and his classmates must find their way to happiness again. It would surely be Miss Perry's fondest wish.
Pat Brisson and Stéphane Jorisch have created a poignant story, appropriate for children coping with a teacher's death or in need of comfort after any loss. Readers of all ages will be affected by its depth and honesty, and buoyed by its capacity for joy.
Author Notes
Pat Brisson lives in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Brisson (Mama Loves Me from Away) sensitively explores the effects of an elementary teacher's unexpected death and the inspirational legacy she leaves her young students. Stevie, a boy in Miss Perry's room, narrates his recollections of the fun-loving teacher who "smiled until her eyes disappeared." On his first day, she told him, "It is my fondest wish that you join me for lunch today, Stevie." He soon discovers that she "had a new fondest wish every day." Softly hued pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations depict the cheerful, youthful instructor having fun with her students as they prepare to plant daffodils around the flagpole or serenade the principal ("It is my fondest wish that we buzz down to her office and sing her the birthday song," Miss Perry says). In a scene that could serve as a model for similar situations, Brisson depicts the thoughtful way the principal and guidance counselor break the news to the students when a car accident suddenly ends Miss Perry's life. The students share their memories of her, and also imagine what Miss Perry's fondest wish would be now ("For us to not be too sad"). Jorisch's (Suki's Kimono) artwork keeps the poignant tale from becoming maudlin. Sunny colors and realistic situations touched with whimsy maintains an upbeat tone (e.g., a spread depicting the children's reminiscences features playful vignettes of bees and flowers with smiling faces). Brisson's tenderhearted tale offers a welcome opening for discussion of a difficult subject. Ages 4-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
After Stevie's teacher is killed in a car accident, he and his classmates remember all the fun they had with her. The characters recover (at least partially) from their sadness, and Brisson effectively relates both a good story and a small lesson in loss. The art, though it doesn't adequately individualize the characters, is pleasant. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
K-Gr. 3. Stevie's first day at school gives him a stomachache. But his teacher, Miss Perry, whose eyes disappear when she smiles, gets him through by telling him that her fondest wish is that they have lunch together. In fact, Miss Perry has a new fondest wish every day, and her upbeat charm makes for a happy class. Then one day, she isn't in school. After lunch, the kids are surprised to find their parents in their classroom. Principal O'Brien has something so sad to tell them that they may need their moms and dads: Miss Perry has been killed in a car accident. A grief counselor helps the students cope by asking for memories, and recalling their teacher's fondest wishes eases the children's pain. Although the title gives a clue, parents may pick this up by accident and get an unpleasant surprise mid-reading. But for children who are experiencing loss (even though this is one step removed from a family death), the story clearly makes the point that memory is an antidote for sadness. Sprightly ink-and-watercolor illustrations feature a multiethnic class, and capture Miss Perry with particular charm. Her smile lights up the pages. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2006 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-A poignant story about loss. Stevie's teacher finds ways to make him feel at home during his first day at a new school. Her "fondest wish," she says, is that they have lunch together, evoking for him the sense of speaking with a fairy-tale princess. The young narrator soon discovers that Miss Perry has a "new fondest wish" daily, such as for the class to become quiet so that she can read from James and the Giant Peach or for the students to plant tulips around the school flagpole. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and news arrives of a car crash that has taken her life. A counselor helps the children talk about their memories, which cushions their loss by bringing back the joy of Miss Perry's fondest wishes and the way that "her eyes disappeared when she smiled." The delicate pen-and-ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations reflect the varied emotions evoked by this treasured individual. This title fills a need for books that encourage healthy emotional expression. A first purchase.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Young Stevie and his classmates experience human loss for the first time when a beloved teacher dies. Stevie's very nervous on his first day at a new school; his teacher Miss Perry takes him under her wing, explaining that she understands because she's a new teacher. Her sense of fun and adventure excites the entire class; they put on makeshift bee costumes to surprise the principal on her birthday (they're a "swarm" of well-wishers). One day, Miss Perry doesn't show up for school. In the afternoon, after calling all the parents to join their children in their classroom, the principal breaks the news of Miss Perry's death in a car accident. The last half of the story charts the children's journey to acceptance, through puzzlement and sorrow and an appreciation of the joy Miss Perry brought to their lives. Jorish's subtle watercolors effectively evoke the emotions of the characters without overpowering the text. A tasteful and valuable contribution. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
