Show and Tell

Lynn Manuel, the author of Return to Cranberry Farm, writes mystery
novels for young adults.

This story, about a little boy who decides to take his baby sister to
school for Show and Tell, is aimed at children roughly four to eight
years old. The text is both amusing and well-paced. When the baby
awakens in Benjamin’s knapsack, the teacher tries to rock the baby to
quiet her down. But “the teacher was not the baby’s mother and she
didn’t rock quite right.” The principal thinks he can yell at the
baby and she will be quiet. Finally they call in a doctor, since
they’re sure the baby must be sick. The sight of the doctor’s
needles just makes the baby cry all the more. Only Benjamin knows what
to do. He calls his mother and asks her to come to the school to take
care of the baby.

This book will appeal more to school-age children than to younger ones.
Schoolchildren will be able to relate to the strained adults, lacking in
humor and imagination. Martchenko’s witty and colorful illustrations
are full of detail and lively movement, and complement the text
perfectly.

This is a well-produced book that children in their first years at
school will certainly enjoy!