Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry

by Michael Rosen, Chinlun Lee (Illustrator)

A small moment makes a big difference to a little girl — thanks to a totally wonderful teacher who knows just what to do.

Molly can't wait to share her grandma's crystal with all her classmates, the special crystal she looks at each night as she falls asleep. Everyone crowds around, eager to see it — until Russell runs by with his flashy, water-spurting dinosaur. Now Molly's eyes are filling with tears, and her heart is going thumpity-thump, and it's the most totally horrible day in the whole world. Is there anything Miss Plumberry can do to make things wonderful again?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 8, 2006

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet tribute to a swell teacher who knows how to make each child feel special.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. A nice book to read during Teacher Appreciation season.

Library copy

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Miss Plumberry were truly so wonderful, she'd have a designated Show and Tell time so that everyone gets a chance to be the center of attention, instead of enabling those children who have insecurities. And poor Russell.

I'll consider raising my rating of it if someone convinces me that I'm missing something.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly goes to school with something to show everyone, but her teacher and later the other children seem to be more interested in Russell's toy dinosaur, and that makes her feel bad. I remember what it was like to be eager to share something with others--I'm still like that--and how disappointing it is when no one listens or seems to care. Luckily for Molly Miss Plumberry is perceptive and makes sure that Molly gets the attention she craves. I felt a little bad for Russell, though, as by doing so she took away from the attention that Russell was getting. I'm not convinced that Miss Plumberry is totally wonderful. Read it and see if you agree.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4-year-old liked this book. As a parent, I guess I have mixed feelings for the message it sends. I love that Molly's teacher noticed her looking sad and did something to make her feel better but she sort of did it at the expense of another child.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young school girl brings a small crystal to show and tell for class, a class run by a sweetheart named Miss Plumberry. The girl is kinda sad that the other kids would rather focus on one boy with his toy stegosaurus as opposed to her and the crystal. Then Miss Plumberry approaches her to ask about the crystal, and the girl explains it has to do with her grandmother, and the crystal was granny's special gift. Then Plumberry goes all Zen and says wow, that's one of the most beautiful stones I've ever seen (similar to the lies most teachers use to connect with kids, however temporary that link is), and Plumberry goes into one of those Calgon dream moments where she oozes about wanting to disappear into the depths of the crystal, same as the lady in the old ad who dreams of disappearing into a Calgon bath. "Calgon, take me away!" By the end of the book, the girl actually believes Miss Plumberry is the best teacher in the world. In time, of course, that will change. For now, though, Michael Rosen has given us a very nice book that for some reason honors the favoritism teachers tend to shower on school kids, leaving them with Calgon dreams of their own of a special bond that doesn't exist, since certain ethics prevent any bond between teacher and student to last forever.
Three stars
Rosen read leaves audiences blue,
Plumberry not the best fruit for you.

[April Gladwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

(1 year and 10 months) This is a nice book about a little girl who takes something special to school one day. Unfortunately, not everyone is excited to see her favourite thing. The book helps us talk about our feelings and how to be empathetic.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes very special adults to be teachers of young children.

[Gracie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She had a lot of emotions. She was sad then happy."

[David Mensah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for children I think. Captures the feeling of how the smallest things in life can sometimes mean the most to a child. Molly is mesmerized by the beautiful crystal that she recieved from her grandma who lives somewhere far away and she can't waite to get to school to show it off to her classmates. The first reaction of the children in her class is exactly what she was looking for, but then something happens that completely brings Molly's world crushing down. This is the que for the wonderful Miss Plumberry, Molly's caring and considerate teacher, who with her tactfullness makes everything right again. Hence the name,Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry. The book is a great reflection on the little nuances that can go to make or break a child's view of life,a day or a particular set of circumstances. Although the book is written with children in mind the author has captured something of the human need and struggle for acceptance, validation and recognition from other people. What a difference someone who is considerate of the needs of others can make. The book reflects a positive outlook upon teachers that I appreciated and left me with a warm inspired feeling about why I want to be a teacher. Hopefully I can make such a difference in children's lives that they would view me in this light.

[Morgan]

Totally Wonderful Miss Plumberry is about a little girl who wants to bring a crystal to school to show her friends. She is so excited and can't wait for everyone to see it. When she gets to school though, she is disappointed when everyone wants to see a boys toy instead. She starts to think it was an aweful day, instead of a totally wonderful one. Miss Plumberry makes it all better when she shows interest and makes the rock seem magical.

I liked how this book emphasizes how quickly a day can change. You could talk with your students how one compliment or smile can make a person's day better.

[Destiny Dawn Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually was looking up whether there had been a printing error with this book, because the ordering of the text on some of the pages really didn't scan right. I found it jumbled and confusing (unclear pronouns floating around, unclear perspective, etc). If it wasn't for that, I would probably have given the book 3 stars.

I don't love the book, and I'm not convinced that Miss Plumberry is totally wonderful... but it's an okay story. And my 2 year old currently loves it.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

another good teacher book

[Am.Aversa]

In this story, a girl comes to school with crystals that her grandmother gave her. She is really excited to show her friends what she brought to school, but they aren't interested. The teacher takes the time to let her explain what she brought in.
This is really helpful as a teacher because I know that I will run into situations like this where students was to share things with the class.
Genre: Realistic Fiction

[Christine Turner]

A small moment makes a big difference to a little girl -- thanks to a totally wonderful teacher who knows just what to do.

Molly can't wait to share her grandma's crystal with all her classmates, the special crystal she looks at each night as she falls asleep. Everyone crowds around, eager to see it -- until Russell runs by with his flashy, water-spurting dinosaur. Now Molly's eyes are filling with tears, and her heart is going thumpity-thump, and it's the most totally horrible day in the whole world. Is there anything Miss Plumberry can do to make things wonderful again?

Subject: Teachers -- Juvenile fiction
Personal Object -- Juvenile fiction.
Schools -- Juvenile fiction