to use talents in many ways and being able to work with others as a team.

Not for the youngest children, and not to be read aloud. And the sub-plot about Jose was implausibly over-the-top. However, if one thinks about it as an entry-level graphic-novel, one can find a lot to like.

One thing I'd do with my (hypothetical) second-graders is find a way to have all the students read this, and then perform this story as a play. That is to say, my toughest kid could play Miss (or Mr.) Brilliant, and one of my shyer kids could be the narrator, and one of my quieter kids could be Jose'.

I do like the diversity, and I do like that we get to know each child. But I still wish that it was more believable. For example, it's highly unlikely that there would be only 13 kids in a classroom - most schools with which I have experience have almost twice that, even in the youngest grades.

Oh well, still a cute story, and worth your time as you decide for yourself whether you want to recommend it to children or students. ( )

This is great for voice, everyone has something to say and you want it to be heard. Good for younger elementary using thought bubbles in your pictures, also in your writing as well

When Miss Brilliant's class decides to put on a production of Mary Had a Little Lamb for their families, most of the students join in with gusto, practicing their parts enthusiastically and working hard to help create the scenery and make the costumes. Only José resists, continually cracking jokes at his classmates' expense, and putting down the group project. But on the day of the play itself he too becomes engaged, pleased to see his mother in the audience and to be a part of the project, eventually learning his lesson about being a bully.

Chosen as one of our February selections for The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our monthly theme was "Fractured Nursery Rhymes" - the production by the "Brilliant Players" involves a significant revision to Mary Had a Little Lamb - this tale of one class's theatrical production makes for a lovely book in many respects. The premise is interesting, the cast of characters is diverse - the children come from all different racial and ethnic groups, and there is one little girl in a wheelchair - and the artwork is colorful and appealing. Unfortunately, the narrative itself is less successful, being divided between the main text, which is very simple, and the continuous dialogue occurring in speech bubbles, as part of the artwork. I found this divided narrative approach rather distracting at times, and think that the book would have worked better if the main text had been eliminated altogether, and the graphic novel format of the artwork had been allowed to determine the storytelling format as well. ( )

In this multicultural classroom Mrs. Brilliant loves to make a celebration about anything. Unfortunately for one of her students, Jose, nothing they do in her class is fun or worth his time. When the class decides to do a play on "Mary Had a Little Lamb", Jose wants nothing to do with it and makes sure to let everyone know how he feels. Although he wants nothing to do with the play, Mrs. Brilliant stays positive and continues to encourage him throughout the story. Drawn in a comic book style, this story could be difficult to read in the younger grades. Great to teach multiculturalism, or also to teach how to be a team player. ( )