I enjoyed this book for many reasons, the first reason being the realistic illustrations that have some unrealistic aspects added to them. For example, the characters in the book have realistic features to them and are located in a school, however, in the classroom are a bunch of mice running around at the feet of the students. I also enjoyed the way the author incorporated rhyming words within the story line. The teacher tells the students to grab their jackels instead of jackets and to get on the dragon instead of saying wagon. The illustrations matches the words that do not make sense to use in the setting. For example, on the page where Mrs. Millie asks everyone to get on the dragon instead of the wagon the wagon is part dragon in the illustration. The main theme of this story is to demonstrate the different uses of rhyming within stories that doesn’t make it have to be a poem and to inform the reader that sometimes teachers do indeed make mistakes. ( )

Mrs. Millie is a silly teacher who takes her students to a farm on a field trip. She wants the students to choose a pumpkin for their Harvest party. While at the farm, they go on a hay ride, see a scarecrow, pick pumpkins, feed horses, rake leaves, play hide-n-seek, and have apple cider. The class goes on a fun field trip at a local farm. The class thinks Mrs. Millie is crazy because she confuses everything. She thinks hot apple cider is apple spider, they go on dragon rides, and find pumpkins shaped as pets.

This highlights the fun of Halloween. It's a silly story that kids will certaintly laugh about. ( )

Little Kid Reaction: My kids LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. It is super silly, and filled with fun. The kids in the story laugh on each page, and my kids laughed at the plays on the words that Mrs. Millie mixes up. The illustrations are fun and colorful. Our favorite is the BILLY BOATS -- goats with chests like the hull of a boat and sails sticking up out of their backs.

Big Kid Reaction: I liked this book. It was fun to read with my kids, and very interactive. Instead of reading the text as-is on the page, I would read what Mrs. Millie said and then have my boys try to correct it with the correct word. It was not always easy, because sometimes the word rhymed with the correct word (same at the end), and sometimes the word started the same as the correct word, and once the word started with the same 2 letters but sounded different (puma vs. pumpkin). But, even my 2 year old (who has been in preschool and been to the pumpkin patch) correctly guessed some of the words, particularly after several readings.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.