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The Awful Aardvarks Go to School
Lively illustrations, tongue-twisting text, and rollicking rhymes rip through the alphabet recounting the chaos a group of mischievous aardvarks casts on an unsuspecting class.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Reeve Lindbergh
65 books60 followersChildren's author, novelist, and poet Reeve Lindbergh is the daughter of world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 25, 2016
This is a picture book about the alphabets. The author used a lot of end rhyme, alliteration and meter but it doesn't always work because the flow is sometimes broken when read aloud.
The main character - the Aardvarks are introduced immediately and the story is set in a school. The problem which serves as a hook is introduced at the very beginning of the story an I think this will pique the interest of young readers.
The characters are mischievous and from the very second page (of writing, there are about 18/28 pages of writing and 10 pages of illustration) the tempo/tension is on a steady increase as the Aardvarks create lots of problems until the climax when they are expelled from the school and the resolution where they're shut out of the zoo.
There are consequences for bad actions and the author shows this without being preachy or using an 'in your face' moral instruction approach.
Some may have issues with the antics of the Aardvarks because of the impression it may make with young readers (in one instance, we have the Aardvarks pulling down a characters pants. However, if you use this book as a read aloud, you could use it to discuss cause and effect.
The main character - the Aardvarks are introduced immediately and the story is set in a school. The problem which serves as a hook is introduced at the very beginning of the story an I think this will pique the interest of young readers.
The characters are mischievous and from the very second page (of writing, there are about 18/28 pages of writing and 10 pages of illustration) the tempo/tension is on a steady increase as the Aardvarks create lots of problems until the climax when they are expelled from the school and the resolution where they're shut out of the zoo.
There are consequences for bad actions and the author shows this without being preachy or using an 'in your face' moral instruction approach.
Some may have issues with the antics of the Aardvarks because of the impression it may make with young readers (in one instance, we have the Aardvarks pulling down a characters pants. However, if you use this book as a read aloud, you could use it to discuss cause and effect.
Read
March 5, 2010When a pack of awful aardvarks goes to school, the results are disastrous. Whether its making the angering the anteater or flicking fleas at Freedie fron, these aardvarks storm their way through the classroom and through the alphabet, creating chaos as they go.
The borders in this book are only on the top page, used is the alphabet and it displays it very well because of the school setting. The colors are very bright and the school has many fun things in the room. Watercolor paints are used in the illustrations. There are no borders where the words are they are meshed into the background. The title page is a picture of the alphabet that has been mixed up on the ground. Each animal in the book is detailed with curved lines and their shapes of their heads is the way each animals head should be shaped. The colors and lines and shapes are very well drawn.
The borders in this book are only on the top page, used is the alphabet and it displays it very well because of the school setting. The colors are very bright and the school has many fun things in the room. Watercolor paints are used in the illustrations. There are no borders where the words are they are meshed into the background. The title page is a picture of the alphabet that has been mixed up on the ground. Each animal in the book is detailed with curved lines and their shapes of their heads is the way each animals head should be shaped. The colors and lines and shapes are very well drawn.
April 4, 2014
Ever try to list all the things you shouldn’t do at school using every letter of the alphabet? Well, the Aardvarks have! This alphabet book even uses repetitive letter sounds in each sentence to describe all the awful things the aardvarks do at school, one letter at a time.
April 22, 2009
My child (age 4) really got a kick out of this one, particularly how the aadvarks screwed up the alphabet at the top of each page.
August 23, 2009
I like the alliteration but I think it was better at the beginning of the book.
August 31, 2010
This is a good book to read the first days of school. Children will enjoy the antics the aardvarks get into at school.
December 24, 2012
One of my favorite beginning of school reads because of the alphabetical order.
June 18, 2013
Cute read aloud, discussions of bullying, taking care of others things.
May 8, 2014
Language Feature: alliteration/alphabet
October 17, 2016
Funny ABC alliteration.
March 26, 2017
Fun and frantic adventures of going to school.
The illustrations are great
The illustrations are great
October 6, 2017
Alphabet (ABC) book
Title (italicize): The Awful Aardvarks Go To School
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator (if separate from author): Tracey Campbell
Genre: Concept book, Fiction
Theme(s): Appropriate behavior
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
The Day that the Aardvarks came into our school
Was Alphabet Awful - they broke every rule!
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): Four aardvarks go to school one day. They cause mayhem and chaos. The story is told by using different letters on each page, the capitalize what letter that are highlighting, and they have a alphabet strip at the top of the page. At the end of the book, the aardvarks get expelled, leave the school, and head to the zoo.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Ilene Cooper
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): CLCD
Link to source: http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste)
High hilarity (and chaos) reigns when three aardvarks invade the classroom. Loosely set within the framework of an ABC book, this combines a witty rhyme with artwork that is both frenzied and funny. Each two-page spread features a letter or two from the alphabet, a pithy rhyme, and pandemonium in the classroom: "They Angered the Anteater, Ate All the Ants, And Bullied the Bunny (they pulled down his pants)." The pen-and-watercolor art shows a bemused bunny, pants down, the interlopers slurping ants off the floor, paper airplanes floating through the air, and chickens clucking sympathetically at the bunny's dilemma. Campbell is a supremely gifted illustrator who does the absurd better than anyone. She gets plenty of opportunity to show off her talent here as the situation gets more and more extreme: "Ignoring Instructions, they clogged up the sink / Immersed all the Inchworms, and dipped them in Ink." Now the class is almost underwater with animals of various stripes floating, rowing, swimming, and spouting water like a whale. The letters of the alphabet march along the top of the chalkboard just like in a real classroom, and theoretically, kids might come away from this with some knowledge of letters and/or sounds. Nah, they'll be laughing too hard.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Horn Book
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): Horn Book
Link to source: http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste)
(3) K-3 series. When misbehaving aardvarks go to school, they wreak havoc through the day and through the alphabet. Lindbergh's alliterative rhyming text and Pearson's lively, crowded drawings show the humorous and chaotic results of their mischief. This is a cheerful, hectic romp.
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words)
Agree? Disagree? Commonalities and/or differences?
I definitely agree with these two reviews. I think this book would be absolutely perfect for a read aloud. I think it was hilarious and the kids would absolutely love it. I think I would be useful to read it one all the way through and then read it again to stop at the important academic aspects because the first time the kids will be laughing too hard.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
The color scheme of this book is perfect. This isn’t a book with simple illustrations at all. The pictures are wild and chaotic and the pastel colors really compliment the chaos.
The book uses a lot of sight words, but also a lot of challenging words that make for great engagement and questions. The only thing that is confusing in this book is some of the words that aren’t supposed to be capitalized are capitalized because they start with the letter the book is highlighting on that page.
Consideration of Instructional Application(3-4 sentences in your own words):
My mini lesson for this book would probably be centered around why some thing’s are capitalized in this book and what is actually supposed to be capitalized because I think some of the capitalized words in this book is confusing. After the mini lesson, I would have them create their own alphabet book about what happens next when the aardvarks go to school. To connect with other content areas, I think the kids would really enjoy learning about other animals and their characteristics. I also think this would be a fun way to introduce or talk about what is appropriate behavior.
Title (italicize): The Awful Aardvarks Go To School
Author: Reeve Lindbergh
Illustrator (if separate from author): Tracey Campbell
Genre: Concept book, Fiction
Theme(s): Appropriate behavior
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
The Day that the Aardvarks came into our school
Was Alphabet Awful - they broke every rule!
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words): Four aardvarks go to school one day. They cause mayhem and chaos. The story is told by using different letters on each page, the capitalize what letter that are highlighting, and they have a alphabet strip at the top of the page. At the end of the book, the aardvarks get expelled, leave the school, and head to the zoo.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Ilene Cooper
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): CLCD
Link to source: http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste)
High hilarity (and chaos) reigns when three aardvarks invade the classroom. Loosely set within the framework of an ABC book, this combines a witty rhyme with artwork that is both frenzied and funny. Each two-page spread features a letter or two from the alphabet, a pithy rhyme, and pandemonium in the classroom: "They Angered the Anteater, Ate All the Ants, And Bullied the Bunny (they pulled down his pants)." The pen-and-watercolor art shows a bemused bunny, pants down, the interlopers slurping ants off the floor, paper airplanes floating through the air, and chickens clucking sympathetically at the bunny's dilemma. Campbell is a supremely gifted illustrator who does the absurd better than anyone. She gets plenty of opportunity to show off her talent here as the situation gets more and more extreme: "Ignoring Instructions, they clogged up the sink / Immersed all the Inchworms, and dipped them in Ink." Now the class is almost underwater with animals of various stripes floating, rowing, swimming, and spouting water like a whale. The letters of the alphabet march along the top of the chalkboard just like in a real classroom, and theoretically, kids might come away from this with some knowledge of letters and/or sounds. Nah, they'll be laughing too hard.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
Name of Reviewer: Horn Book
Name of Source (journal, association/organization, etc.): Horn Book
Link to source: http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/...
Short blurb from the review(cut & paste)
(3) K-3 series. When misbehaving aardvarks go to school, they wreak havoc through the day and through the alphabet. Lindbergh's alliterative rhyming text and Pearson's lively, crowded drawings show the humorous and chaotic results of their mischief. This is a cheerful, hectic romp.
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words)
Agree? Disagree? Commonalities and/or differences?
I definitely agree with these two reviews. I think this book would be absolutely perfect for a read aloud. I think it was hilarious and the kids would absolutely love it. I think I would be useful to read it one all the way through and then read it again to stop at the important academic aspects because the first time the kids will be laughing too hard.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
The color scheme of this book is perfect. This isn’t a book with simple illustrations at all. The pictures are wild and chaotic and the pastel colors really compliment the chaos.
The book uses a lot of sight words, but also a lot of challenging words that make for great engagement and questions. The only thing that is confusing in this book is some of the words that aren’t supposed to be capitalized are capitalized because they start with the letter the book is highlighting on that page.
Consideration of Instructional Application(3-4 sentences in your own words):
My mini lesson for this book would probably be centered around why some thing’s are capitalized in this book and what is actually supposed to be capitalized because I think some of the capitalized words in this book is confusing. After the mini lesson, I would have them create their own alphabet book about what happens next when the aardvarks go to school. To connect with other content areas, I think the kids would really enjoy learning about other animals and their characteristics. I also think this would be a fun way to introduce or talk about what is appropriate behavior.
February 21, 2023
The Awful Aardvarks Go to SchoolReeve Lindbergh this was a good book
February 8, 2023
This book is full of goofy fun entertainment. If you are looking for a book that will teach your child something you are looking in the wrong place but if you wanna have fun and laugh this is worth a read.
February 16, 2023
I like the incorporation of the alphabet into the book, along with matching the letter of the alphabet to an animal on each page. I also liked the border that held the letters in it that would be jumbled up to the last letter that was mentioned on the page.
February 22, 2023
This book is a funny book about aardvarks causing chaos at school. It is best for young readers because it teaches about the alphabet, using many words that start with the letter a on the first page, and continuing this pattern until the letter z. Teaches the order of the letters in the alphabet.
February 23, 2023
With bright colors, characters, and rhymes, this book tells the tale of fun chaos while teaching the alphabet. I love the incorporation of different animals and the alliteration that follows reading this fun book!
April 6, 2023
I like the incorporation of the alphabet into the book, along with matching the letter of the alphabet to an animal on each page. I also liked the border that held the letters in it that would be jumbled up to the last letter that was mentioned on the page.
February 19, 2026
Alliteration, rhyming, and laugh out loud silliness- The Awful Aardvarks Go To School is a fun read aloud book for ages 3-6. Easy to incorporate lessons on the alphabet or appropriate behavior with friends or at school.
August 24, 2019
Aardvarks. These silly aardvarks cause trouble starting with every letter in the alphabet. The book is super cute and is wonderful for letter reinforcement.
July 27, 2020
Great vocabulary.
October 8, 2022
FAVORITE!
April 5, 2009
This book made me laugh out loud.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews