Hello, friends! Our book today is No Frogs In School, written by A. LaFaye and illustrated by Eglantine Ceulemans, a sweet and funny story of little boy and his indomitable love of animals.

Bartholomew Botts loves his pets – his many, MANY pets. Dogs, cats, goats, pigs, lizards, guinea pigs, etc.; it seems as though Bartholomew has at least one of each, and at least one goes with him everywhere. So when he heads for school on Monday, he thinks nothing of bringing his new frog, Ferdinand, along – until the little frog escapes and causes a fuss. The teacher, Mr. Patanoose, sets a new rule: no frogs in class. So on Tuesday, Bartholomew brings Sigfried the salamander instead (after all, salamanders aren’t frogs). Mr. Patanoose decrees “no amphibians!”, so Bartholomew brings Horace the hamster on Wednesday, and so on. Bartholomew does his best to follow each new rule, but with each new pet, Mr. Patanoose seems more exasperated than the last, finally declaring that Bartholomew can bring NONE of his pets. But the little boy just loves his animals so – how can Bartholomew enjoy his pets without breaking the school rules?

Delightful. The hilarious winks to the audience about poor Mr. Patanoose’s frustrations coupled with Bartholomew’s earnest innocence over the trouble his beloved pets inadvertently cause give the story a warm, almost timeless sensibility, and any animal-loving child or adult will relate. The illustrations are packed with adorable creatures and clever details – a grumpy-faced cat hidden on the first page gave me a big chuckle, and JJ loved spotting the numerous animals. The length is great, and we had a ton of fun reading it together. Pure, simple, and good-natured fun. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)