School People

Gr 3–5—Hopkins's newest poetry collection is a slim picture book that highlights a baker's dozen of the people who work within and around an elementary school: bus driver, lunch lady, coach, librarian, nurse, art teacher, and others. The verse of several well-known poets—Alma Flor Ada, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, J. Patrick Lewis, and Hopkins himself—interweave beautifully with that of many less familiar voices, resulting in a collection that is fun to read and to listen to. There's the crossing guard who "guides us/like hatchlings/safely/to the other side"; the custodian who's "caring, helpful, smart, and kind."; the principal who can "teach a bully how to be humble." The digital artwork is bright and eye-catching; the cartoon people animated and upbeat. Most illustrations have painted backgrounds and detail; some faces and clothing look like they've been clipped from colored paper, then detailed with paint or colored pencil. The depicted children range in grade level from kindergarten to about sixth grade; however, most of the poems' vocabulary is geared toward older elementary school students.