What George Forgot

October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-Most children are apt to forget something on a typically hectic morning getting ready for school. George, however, always remembers "never to forget anything.... Except when he forgot." The only logical thing to do is to make an itemized account of everything he has to do. This begins with waking himself up in the morning, followed by waking Mom and Dad and beating his slinky down the stairs twice. Several other indispensable matters are accounted for in between, such as finding things (a raisin, popcorn, a straw) to fit in the hole where his tooth used to be and inventing a "flying backpack-putting-on machine." George's bulbous head perhaps alludes to the many things he has to keep in mind during his frenetic morning routine. The illustrations, done in perky pastel reds, pinks, and yellows, cheerfully complement the laugh-out-loud story line. Observant youngsters should be able to readily spot the one thing more embarrassing than George walking out the door without his shoes, riotously depicted without text on the final page. In some ways, this book parallels Jonathan London's Froggy Gets Dressed, though children should relate more easily to George's getting-ready-for-school routine. This selection should have a broad appeal to most youngsters and be a first purchase item for school collections. VERDICT A hilarious, first-rate picture book that's sure to capture the interests of storytime audiences who have embarked on their first day of school.-Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
George is about to dash out the door to school. But what has he forgotten?George is a small white tot with a mop of brown hair and a button nose, and he never forgets anything. Except for...all the times that he does. He's standing at the front door in consternation. He knows that he has forgotten something, he's just not quite sure what. He replays the morning in his mind to figure it out. Has he remembered to wake up? Yes. Has he remembered to eat breakfast? Yes. (He even remembered to stick his toast to his sister's face with yogurt so she had whiskers.) Has he remembered to put on his yellow-and-red dotted underpants? Yes. He just can't figure it out. Suddenly it hits him. He has forgotten his shoes! Confident and happy, he runs to the bus. As the point of view pans out, giggly readers will realize he has forgotten something even more important than shoes. Good thing his sister's on the ball. George's morning routine is haphazard and silly, full of important duties such as racing a slinky down the stairs and finding four and a half things to fit into the hole where his tooth used to be. A clever way to usher kids to the bus with a smile. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2018
George tries to remember what part of his highly specific morning routine he's forgotten. The bright, humorous illustrations depict the step-by-step minute details, and young readers will delight in figuring out the answer before George does: the final illustration shows him boarding the school bus without pants. Thought bubbles and different font sizes and -arrangements add energy to the text.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)