Timothy Goes to School

by Rosemary Wells

Timothy is very excited about starting school--until he meets Claude. Claude sits next to him, and he wears all the right clothes, says all the right things, and garners all the praise from his teacher and classmates. Timothy is feeling down, until he meets a girl who's having the same problem with her seatmate...."Children will easily relate to this tale, in which humor and realism effectively mesh." -- Booklist , starred review

Genres: Picture Books, School, Childrens, Back To School, Friendship, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Rosemary Wells is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She often uses animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby and Timothy from Timothy Goes To School (both were later adapted into Canadian-animated preschool television series, the former’s airing on Nickelodeon (part of the Nick Jr. block) and the latter’s as part of PBS Kids on PBS).

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started out liking this book, and I am a fan of Rosemary Wells' illustrations. But the ending for me was dissappointing. Not okay to laugh at other people, and certainly not a good message for the picture book set (or anyone for that matter).

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I love Wells and most of her work. Both of my kids have loved her Max and Ruby shows and books. I had bought Timothy Goes to School awhile ago for my daughter. We read it last week in anticipation of kindergarten. The start of the book was good with the mother loving Timothy and helping him "fit in" with the other students. Timothy is teased by another student at school each day named Claude. The book ends with Timothy making a new friend who is also teased by another student. The ending of the book has Timothy and his new friend laughing about and making fun of those who tease them. This book is teaching that if you are teased, the best approach is to tease back. I am trying to teach my children to treat everyone nicely, even if they are mean to us. I am getting rid of this book from our family library.

[Juli19 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timothy is a little raccoon that is very excited to go to his first day of school. When he is at school he meets his classmate Claude who is so perfect about everything. Claude wears the right clothes and says the right things. Timothy does not like that and wishes bad things to happen to Claude but nothing bad happens to him. One day Timothy is feeling down and he meets Grace who is having the same problem with her seatmate. At the end both raccoons which share the same feelings about their seatmates become friends. I did not like the story, it make children think that it is ok to wish bad things and make fun of other children that are different or "perfect" like the book states.

[Margie Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed emotions about this book. In the end did Timothy and Violet laugh because they realize they should not be jealous of other people or did they laugh because they were making fun of Claude and Grace....I guess it is left up to you to determine where the story went. I did not think it was a joyful ending and could send the wrong message.

[Dree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this book both as an adult and as a child who grew up reading it. As an adult I can kinda see where fellow adult readers are coming from when they're aghast that Timothy meets a mean kid at school, he despairs that things are unjust, he's sad he can't seem to make a friend (until he does): it is a challenging read. HOWEVER. As a kid? I adored this story. It was REAL. I empathized with Timothy's anxieties, I related when his first days of school didn't go ~perfectly~, I *really got it* when he became frustrated. I remember Claude felt like an intimidating character. Rosemary Wells is telling us a very human, very relatable story--even if they're small fuzzy animals.

I loved that Timothy made a friend who *got* his struggles. Fellow reviewers here are disappointed that it ends on Timothy and Violet bonding over their frustrations with Claude and Grace (privately, unkindly). I see where the adult reviewers are coming from, but it didn't bother me as a child: I guess I assumed they moved on to other things, but in that moment they connected and got their disappointment and jealousy out of their system. It's human, it's real.

Having grown up an avid fan of Rosemary Wells' early works, I loved how she wasn't afraid to include in her story that yeah--sometimes being a kid sucks. There's scary stuff, there's frustrating stuff, there's disappointing stuff, there are strong feelings. But there is also love and reassurance.

[spookybelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Timothy goes to school. Timothy is bullied at school. Timothy is jealous of the bully, tries to be like the bully, and only gets bullied more. Finally, Timothy meets another kid in a similar situation. They commiserate and cheer themselves up by making fun of the people they dislike.

Is this relatable? Yes, this was my school experience too. Is that okay? NO. Is it normal? NO. Should we be normalizing this school experience for our children? PLEASE NO. Books that are "relatable" to experiences we shouldn't have to have in the first place do not make things better. I would much rather read my child books that illustrate a healthy social and educational environment so that if he encounters a situation like this he understands that it is wrong.

[Nozomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

god so emotional. so relatable. hits you right in the heart. i highly recommend.

[Darlene Pasquale · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) no awards
2) appropriate grade levels - Pre K-2nd grade
3) Summary - This book explores Timothy's first day of school. Poor Timothy feels like an outsider. Will he ever be able to make a new friend?
4) Review - I think that this is a great story about making friends. When children first start school, one of their tasks is to interact with other children and make new friends, which is not always easy. This book alludes to that, however, I feel like there are some bullying aspects in it that adults should be aware of.
5) A teacher could set up an anchor chart or a list on the board, and discuss with the children, what it means to be a good friend. Here, they could address the mean things that happened to Timothy, while coming up with ideas on how to be nicer to somebody who is new. A teacher can also set up an icebreaker activity that asks simple questions such as a child's favorite color, food, or animal, to help students see that they have things in common, making it easier for them to make friends.

[Clwseattle · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an adult I almost understand WHY Timothy Goes to School was written as it was, however I'm quite disturbed about frightening young kiddos that the first person the are going to meet at school is going to be mean to them and make them feel inadequate for a few days before they meet someone who has the same feelings as them about someone else and with whom they become friends.

I get it. There are mean, boastful and popular kids. There are kids who are made to feel inadequate. There are kids who who bond over gossip about them with others. BUT is it necessary to worry the young ones about it? 2 stars because the answer is a resounding NO!, but it will worry them.

[Alice Streatfeild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story about starting school and being unnerved by not knowing what people wear (and apparently wearing the wrong thing). It also includes some jealousy about other apparently perfect pupils.
What let’s it down is that whilst Timothy makes a friend it is because someone is also jealous, well perhaps that is what they bonded over. It would have been great if there was a resolution with the other two seemingly perfect pupils - though perhaps that could be imagined and created by children when it’s read to them with a question of ‘what comes next’.

[Triston Dutschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy Goes to School is a great book about a kid going to his first days of school. He instantly gets self conscious as another student begins to tease him. When they wear the same shirt the other student argues that he is wearing the same shirt as HIM, not vice versa. This upsets Timothy. This story can teach students to not bully or tease and also to find similarities in each other and build friendships upon them.

[Dayna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like the message that we laugh and make fun of other kids behind their backs who are teasing us.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What did my son learn?
That friends are made because two people didn't like other classmates and they now bond over their mutual dislike?
Ehhh.

[Bk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kid gets teased and called fat in class. Kid goes home and works out to adjust herself to the liking of her classmates. Horrible self image message. No correction from the teacher to the other kids not to tease and make fun of people about how they look. Now gotta undo the damage this book has caused.

Humph" said Grace. "You take up too much room in this class. You are too big and fat!"
"I am not fat!" said Doris.
«You are a Tubbette!" whispered Grace.
Nora and Lily began to giggle.
Mrs. Jenkins went to the piano and played the Friends Song. Everyone had to hold hands and sing.

[Jensine Foley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would use this book if i was teaching young children. I believe this has a very good point to it, while Timothy just wants to go to school he struggles trying to fit in and find new friends. I feel as if a lot of kids struggle with this and this book can show them that they are not the only ones.

[Dana Storytime Account · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have some mixed feelings with this book. I am glad that Timothy made a friend, but if you stop to think about the friendship it's kind of not cool. I'm just not sure making friends to talk about other people is a good moral, bonding over mutual dislike of something doesn't really make for a healthy friendship?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my class on the first day of school without really reading it through first. . . big mistake because my beginning-of-the-year threes had glazed over eyes two pages in, and it wasn’t even about the first day of school. Ah, well.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alissa had trouble understanding the jealousy and rivalry between the 2 boys.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This almost got 4 stars from me. The story was going in a solid direction. But then...the ending. Very odd. It just sort of...stopped.

[Inés Platero Gracia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books when I was a child....... but I'm not a child anymore and I see that this book is almost nothing without the pictures.

[superawesomekt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un petit livre avec de charmantes illustrations mais aussi avec de mauvaises manières.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WE gift this to kids starting school...it's a perennial favorite!!

[Sally Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood books! Top 5!

[Monica Olmstead · Rating 2 out of 5]

good book for kids to read as in the words are not hard to read but not a good message for the kids. The end was bad. Timothy and Violet laughed at the other kids and timothy was wishing bad things to happen to Claude through the entire book. so ya bad message being sent to the kids

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I kind of liked this book in general, I felt that it was left in an unresolved place. Timothy and Claude's initial presentation to one another was flat. As the story continued, we saw that there was some tension, negativity, jealousy, arrogance and ill feelings between the two. Thereafter, we soon met Violet who had the same kind of issues with a fellow classmate. When the two classmates, Timothy and Violet, came together, they compared notes, so to speak, and banded together. Soon what was dysfunctional became functional? It was rather hard to believe.

I did like the illustrations. They were colorful and varied. I liked the school setting with all its play/work considerations.

I wish this book would have ended on a more positive note regarding the underlying issues that were revealed. Sure, the two friends came to be close, in a sense, but I did not see any growth occur. There was no obvious learning that happened with Timothy, Violet, or Claude.

This book definitely served as a conversation starter between my children and myself. We talked about attitudes, ill wishes, & how and what we communicate about and to others.

This title was secured from my local library.

[Deidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. Published by Puffin, copyright 2000.

Grade level: 1-3

Timothy is all ready for his first day of school in his brand-new homemade sun suit. When he gets to school though, he meets Claude. Claude is wearing the "right" clothes for the first day of school, and Claude does everything else right too. How will Timothy ever measure up? Timothy doesn't start to feel better until he meets Violet, a girl who is feeling the same way as him. Timothy and Violet become best friends, and realize they don't need to be jealous of those who seem "perfect."

Children will love the illustrations in this book, and they will be able to relate to how Timothy is feeling.

Possible themes/units: insecurity, friendship, beginning of school year

[Skylar Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is somewhat like having a full day's kindergarten class in a single book. It's a workbook without all the marking and writing; your child, in a sense, becomes a member of the class and does the activities along with the rest of the class. It samples a lot of areas in small doses: rhymes, letter recognition and sounds, letter combining, listening comprehension, and sound combinations. It was a bit too demanding for my four year old in parts, but she seemed to enjoy it, and I think it would be a great book to read again just before kindergarten. I would give it four starts for a one-time read, but once she knows the answers to the exercises, there's not much to hold her attention for a repeat read, so I had to settle on three stars.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is Timothy's first day of school and he is struggling with Claude about what are the perfect clothes to wear to school. He is told that "nobody wears a suit to school." Timothy's mother encourages him to choose various other outfits. At the end of the story Timothy meets Violet, who is also discouraged by a girl rabbit who appears to be "perfect." They become friends and laugh together. I see there laughter not directed at the other children but more at the silliness of wanting to be one of the "perfect kids" and that they had something in common. I saw this as a story about wanting to be accepted and how similarities and differences can bring two people together. I felt the author illustrated this well by choosing a girl and boy bunny to become the friends at the end.

[Arsenio Richardson]

I really liked this book because the literature was good and the story being told was very real. The author did used raccoons as the characters which were ok because she had them in people clothes and on two feet not all fours. I thought the author used the colors well even the though pictures were not the best. The setting of school could have been a little better but I understood where she was going with the art. The literature was really good because it dealt with problems that elementary age kids deal with all the time. I would recommend this book to a lot people dealing with young kids.

[Jonathan Ryal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. It tells of a story that every child can relate to at one point in their life. It's a story about a young boy named Timothy who's excited to be going to his first day of school. When he gets there, a mean boy by the name of Claude puts him down for the clothing he wore to school that day. Events similar to this continue happening to Timothy from Claude for the next several days. Eventually Timothy ends up meeting a young girl who has been going through the same problems in her first days at school. They end up talking and laughing about their experiences and become best friends.