Miss Mingo and the First Day of School

Miss Mingo

by Jamie Harper

Young animal enthusiasts won’t soon forget these unique students or Miss Mingo’s enthusiastic celebration of their diversity. —  Publishers Weekly  (starred review)

If there’s an elephant in the classroom — along with an alligator, a koala, a centipede, an octopus, and who knows what else — it must be Miss Mingo’s class on the first day of school! Miss Mingo, a flashy flamingo, starts off the year by inviting all creatures big and small to share something special about themselves. Did you know that Cricket hears with his legs, Snake smells with his tongue, and Frog enjoys eating his own skin? Visit this multi-species classroom for a nonfiction storybook filled with learning — and laughter.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Animals, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2006

About the author

Once upon a time, I was a pastry chef, and before that I worked in an office, crunching numbers. Writing and illustrating children's books is by far the best job I've ever had (well, that is, after being a mom). I fell in love with picture books from reading so many to my children. Then I took some classes at MassArt and tried my hand at making one myself. I got my first job illustrating a poem for Click magazine in 2001. Two years later my first picture book was published. Now I'm working on lots more.

I live with my husband and three girls in a small town just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. My kids give me lots of ideas for stories and the pictures that go with them. Every morning, before I start working, I eat one giant malted milk ball (I tell myself it makes me more creative).

Ten Things You didn't Know about Me

1. My favorite book as a child was Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish.

2. I always carry some penny candy in my purse, just in case.

3. Sometimes I sneak out to the movies when I should be working.

4. One day, I'd like to work for Pixar and make an animated movie.

5. I got the idea for Miss Mingo from drinking so many Snapple® iced teas.

6. My favorite part of a picture book is the endpapers.

7. I can't resist collecting things – my biggest collection right now is of magnets. When I was little, I collected pigs and Wacky Packages.

8. My girls, my husband (even the neighbors) pose for me if I need models for an illustration.

9. I love Mud Pie ice cream, especially when it's soft and soupy.

10. When I was doing research for Don't Grown Ups Ever Have Fun?, I stuck cooked pasta to the kitchen walls to see if it would stick... and all of the wall paint came off with the pasta!

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superb learning adventure, right from the first day of school!

For picture book readers, this adventure could seem like going to kindy, only with a whole lot of variety to the students in class.

While adult readers may marvel. Beginner's knowledge about zoology, math, and more -- with every single fact made lively-and-interesting!

Fabulous illustrations (also by Jamie Harper) add to the spirit of learning, the general sense of a romp.

MY FAVORITE QUOTE

"What a fabulous year we'll have,"
she thought as she mopped up.
"What a fabulous class!"

[Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m already conjuring up ways to us this book in my classroom—especially with a flamingo theme! I LOVE how this book celebrates the diversity of each and every student. This book could lead to great classroom discussions and projects on the first day of school. The fun animal facts sprinkled throughout are an added bonus that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the animals have different talents and looks but learn about each other and discover the things that make them unique.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and what a delightful way to start a discussion about how different each of us is.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Mingo encourages her students to tell the class something interesting about themselves.

Such a fun idea ... might make for a fun writing assignment.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this darling book! It is about Miss Mingo, the flamingo. On the first day of school she asks each of her very diverse students (elephant, koala, panda, snake, etc.) to share one thing that makes them special. How great is that... to honor each child as being unique and special?! But then it gets even better. As each child shares something unique, it includes in small print a few facts about that animal... (for instance, young elephants suck the end of their trunk to comfort themselves like kids suck their thumb... and pandas are born pink and blind and 900 times smaller than their mothers... and flamingos eat their food upside down). My 7 yo asked why the flamingo taught so many animals rather than a class of just pigs or just flamingos or whatever and this led us to a great discussion of diversity and how lucky she is to go to a school with kids from a variety of backgrounds (different native languages, ethnic backgrounds, religious, and so on) and that she can learn from each of them because each child is different and special. (**Not that different animals are quite the same thing as people are who come from different backgrounds...we are all still people... but it was a rich discussion.)

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about animals. The teacher is a pink flamingo who ask her animal students to tell the class something about them that no one knows. I liked that this book has true facts about animals.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first day of school and Miss Mingo (a flamingo) faces a new classroom of animal children. To break the ice, she tells them something interesting about herself and asks the class to do likewise.

Filled with animals of all kinds, from a narwhal to a centipede, the book introduces each animal and tells an interesting natural fact about them, like how alligators keep shedding their teeth, why centipedes are a misnomer and how much water a pelican can hold. Fun for children and adults alike to read.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Mingo helps all the animal students in her class overcome their shyness on the first day of school by encouraging them to share something special about themselves.


Reading Practice


Book Level: 3.6

Interest Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)

Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction

Topic - Subtopic: Animals-Misc./Other; Behavior-Shyness; Community Life-School; People-Teachers; Popular Groupings-Lower Grades School Days;

[Alissa Faust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Mingo is excited for her first day of school, but her class is a little nervous. Miss Mingo asks each class member to share something unique about themselves. As each student shares about themselves, we learn many interesting animal facts. I loved that there is the general story that you can read aloud and smaller-type, more in-depth facts that you can choose to read out loud or not. Great watercolor illustrations.

[Restokes92]

This is a book about a flamingo teacher who is named Miss Mingo and her class full of unique animals who's traits are all described. Students will learn about frogs, crickets, and other animals and how they are very special in somethings that they do (frogs eating their skin). I would use this book as a read aloud and integrate it with ELA and science. The reason I choose to integrate subjects in my class is to show students that everything they are learning in school is connected.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Miss Mingo and the First Day of School" is a cute read about how all the animals in Miss Mingos class get to know each other on the first day of school.

It was a cute read, but definitely not a book to read on the first day of school (despite the title). It would be a great book, however to use for some sort of animal studies unit. Cute pictures, and it comes with fascinating animal facts on every page!

[Sharon Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

ages4-7
read aloud/independent
fluent
fiction picture book with some non-fiction facts about animals
diversity/scientific facts on animals and other life forms
strong characters/personification/text&illustration interaction
everyone in this classroom is unique,fun facts about animals, water critters,and birds, students love learning new things

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a winner. It's a teacher with unique animals for her students. On the first day of school, they all share what is special about themselves. What makes it neat is at the bottom of each page in smaller "adult" type, is the actual fact -- like a pelican's beak holds 3.5 gallons of water. Cool stuff!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Mingo is a flamingo and she has a class of shy animals- from a panda to a crocodile. This book incorporates nonfiction animal facts with back-to-school tradition to help us realize every student is special in their own way. Who knew the narwahl's "horn" was really an overgrown tooth! A fun start of school choice.

[Shelly Koressel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites, this book is about the first day of school. The teacher first starts it out by telling some fact about herself. Then the other animals join in. Even though they have difference they are all important. Good book about diversity. Great book for the first day of school to break the ice.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good choice for starting school that blends fiction and nonfiction for K-2 crowd.
Lots of smaller animals and details might be hard to in a read out loud - so might be a contender for projection. You could talk about how everyone is different and special and launch into a tell us a few facts about yourself writing exercise.

[Bcpl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably better for discussing "unique characteristics of animals" than as a back-to-school pick.

[Justina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book for kids that tells interesting facts about different animals.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!! So fun and informative. Children of all ages (older ones included) will find some critter fact that will make them pause to say "I didn't know that."

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 108712 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 3.6 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP

[Hillvan]

AD660L

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a cute book. definitely not your typical first day of school book. the kids were interested in all of the animals though.

[Elizabeth Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and story are super cute, with good facts about animals. As the animals got increasingly chaotic I got a little nauseous, but it was super cute.
(G rating)

[Rose]

E Har

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combines information with a story about the beginning of the school year.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book as it is so true in emotion, and so fun and educational in its exposition.