Good Luck, Mrs. K.!

Mrs. Kempczinski — "Mrs. K." to her third-grade students — is everyone's favorite teacher. Exciting and dynamic, Mrs. K. knows sign language, celebrates Worm Day, and performs "homework dances." One day the third graders are explorers, learning about faraway places. Other days, they are poets or scientists or astronauts. Every day with Mrs. K. is different, and every day is fun.

Suddenly, though, Mrs. K. is not in school and Room 3 has a substitute teacher. The principal explains that Mrs. K. is in the hospital with cancer. The class writes letters and draws pictures for Mrs. K. One student, Ann Zesterman, tells Mrs. K. that she says "Kemp-chin-ski" for good luck when she plays basketball at recess. Another, A.J., wonders how many operations it takes to cure cancer, but no one has the answer. When will Mrs. K. come back?

Based on a true story, narrated by nine-year-old Ann and with lovely full-color paintings, this honest and forthright story addresses a subject of much importance and concern for young and old alike.

Publishers Weekly

Readers be warned, this is lump-in-the-throat material. Borden (Albie the Lifeguard; The Little Ships) tackles a difficult subject not often found in picture books, in a sensitive story about a third-grade class whose teacher is suddenly stricken with cancer. Mrs. Kempczinski's ("Say it like this... Kemp-chin-ski!") students love everything about her, from the plastic worm earrings and candy worms she brings in on Worm Day to the special dances she does when all the homework comes in on time. When "Mrs. K." is hospitalized for cancer treatment, the students rally to her support, sending letters and keeping her updated on what they are learning with her substitute. The day after school ends for the summer, the principal reconvenes the class for a surprise--Mrs. K. is there for a visit. "Her cheeks weren't as chubby as before, but I could still hear all that fun in Mrs. K.'s voice," notes the third-grade narrator, and together Mrs. K.'s students skate through the empty halls, chanting their beloved teacher's name and wishing her luck. Borden's understated prose rings true, and the inherent poignancy in her text is underscored by first-time illustrator Gustavson's expressive watercolors. He does a superb job with the faces in particular, the characters' emotions are carefully nuanced, and his slightly somber palette of grays and earth tones sets the mood without dampening the affection in the story. A thoughtful and original effort on all accounts. Ages 6-10. (May) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Louise Borden is the author of more than twenty books for children, whose awards include the prestigious Christopher Medal. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Washington, D.C. metro area, and can be visited at louiseborden.com.

Adam Gustavson is a graduate of Rowan University and the Master of Fine Arts Illustration program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. In addition to illustrating picture books, he currently teaches at Passaic County Community College and Seton Hall University. He lives and paints in West Orange, New Jersey, with his wife, their children, several guitars, and a ferret named Gracie.