Mr. Wolf's Class (Mr. Wolf's Class Series #1)

by Aron Nels Steinke

Overview

From Eisner Award-winning creator Aron Nels Steinke, a vibrant, funny new series that charmingly captures the everyday antics of a fourth-grade classroom!

Mr. Wolf has just started teaching at Hazelwood Elementary. He wants the first day of school to go well, but he's got his hands full with his new class. Some of his students include: Margot, who is new in town and is trying to make friends. Sampson, who brought something special to school for show-and-tell. Aziza, who just wants everyone to be quiet and do their work. And Penny, who is VERY sleepy because she has a new baby brother at home, goes missing! This delightful new series captures the everyday — and unexpected — ups and downs of a fourth-grade classroom.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338047684
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	06/26/2018
Series:	Mr. Wolf's Class Series , #1
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	176,074
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Aron Nels Steinke is the bestselling, Eisner Award-winning creator of the Mr. Wolf's Class series and cocreator of The Zoo Box. A former elementary school teacher, he lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the Mr. Wolf's Class series:

American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Children, 2021

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best List, 2019 and 2020

"I've really been enjoying the Mr. Wolf's Class series. Each book is filled with fun stories, great characters, and fantastic artwork!" — Dav Pilkey

★ "Young readers should easily self-identify with fifth-grade teacher Steinke's varied and sharply observed characters and wryly perceived classroom minutiae... This class gets an A." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Upbeat... the beginning of a promising new series." — The New York Times Book Review

"With basic dialogue, a soothing setting, and no more than six frames per page, this book is ideal for new chapter book readers and older struggling readers." — School Library Journal

"With calm intelligence and amusing, accessible realism, Steinke creates a cast in which any young reader will immediately find someone to embrace and a world that's invitingly recognizable." — Booklist

"The cheerful plot depicts each character with care and depth." — The Horn Book

"One of the most inspiring and comforting books of the year." — The Beat

"I loved spending time in Mr. Wolf's Class! Aron Nels Steinke's debut is a perfect introduction to graphic novels for elementary school readers, who will laugh and empathize with Mr. Wolf's diverse group of students." — Kate Messner, author of the Ranger in Time series and former schoolteacher

"Mr. Wolf's Class has something for everyone!" — Gene Luen Yang, creator of American Born Chinese, former Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and former schoolteacher

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
Gr 2–5—Life in Mr. Wolf's fourth grade classroom is ever changing. Feeling pleased with himself one moment and on the verge of panic the next, Mr. Wolf maintains composure while keeping up with the schedule and dealing with one particularly alarming event. This first book in a new series, based on the author's webcomic, is funny and appealing. Steinke adds hilarity to typical classroom scenarios: rats run away with lunches, and a student asks, "Which do you like better—ice cream or farts?" Children will identify with the distinctly rendered, expressive students. The images are simple and easily understood. With basic dialogue, a soothing setting, and no more than six frames per page, this book is ideal for new chapter book readers and older struggling readers. VERDICT A popular pick for public and elementary schools. Kids will anxiously await the next funny adventure at Hazelwood Elementary.—Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

School Library Journal

This upbeat graphic novel…chronicles the activities of a bustling class of fourth graders and their devoted, slightly overwhelmed teacher…Their problems and behavior are strikingly like their counterparts in schools for human children—only funnier.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

04/16/2018
Readers of this congenial graphic novel by Eisner Award–winning Steinke (The Zoo Box) will settle right into Mr. Wolf’s classroom as the new teacher and his animal students get to know each other. Steinke’s panel artwork presents multiple points of view, juggling Mr. Wolf’s anxiousness to have the first day go right with his student Penny’s disappearance (kept up all night by her family’s new baby, she falls asleep in a box in the library), the grouchy responses of Aziza (a duck who appears to be on the autism spectrum), and the fast friendship that grows between Sampson and Margaret as they sit together on the bus. The animals are drawn in clear lines and full color with just enough detail to make each one an individual. Classroom jargon adds to the genuine flavor (“Level-one voices in the hallway!” Mr. Wolf calls); all of it will be familiar to students of suburban American schools. Without big highs and lows—the only suspense is whether they’ll find Penny or not—the story offers calming reading during spare moments waiting for practice to be over, or for the bus to come. Ages 7–10. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Management. (June)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2018-03-04
Ring the bell! A class of anthropomorphized animals assembles for their first day of school.At Hazelwood Elementary, Mr. Wolf, the new fourth-grade teacher, is looking forward to meeting his class. As the buses roll in and the children arrive, he meets new student Margot, a tawny rabbit; Aziza, a violet duck in a hijab; Penny, a sleepy, apricot-colored pig; and Sampson, a lime-green frog with a beloved shell collection; and more. The narrative lens bounces cheerily around the classroom, from various students to their teacher, encompassing authentic elementary school experiences including embarrassing bathroom moments, cutting in line, silly fart jokes, purloined classroom items, and playground shenanigans. Steinke's character-driven graphic offering pays keen attention to its cheerfully colored denizens, keeping them centered in his cleanly rendered panels and utilizing close-ups to highlight emotion and expression. Young readers should easily self-identify with fifth-grade teacher Steinke's varied and sharply observed characters and wryly perceived classroom minutiae. Although none of the notably diverse characters are explored with any great depth, they are all given enough attention to be memorable, creating anticipation for further meetings in this promising new series.This class gets an A. (Graphic fantasy. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews