Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech delivers A Smart, Smart School, the companion to the New York Times bestselling and perennial picture book favorite A Fine, Fine School. Beloved characters Tillie, Beans, and Mr. Keene return, with a timely message about the importance of creativity in the classroom.
Mr. Keene runs a fine, fine school. He encourages his students to express themselves through the creative arts: drawing, painting, reading, and singing. Then Mr. Keene’s appendix bursts, and he is rushed to the hospital.
A new principal named Mr. Tatters arrives to take his place, and he is a serious man. He does not smile, he does not laugh, and he disapproves of their creative methods of learning. He immediately implements a policy of daily tests and bans songs, flowers, art, and fun! Soon the students tire of constant test taking, and the teachers grow too fatigued to grade any more tests. Thankfully, Mr. Keene heals and when he returns, he encourages his students to balance their creativity with their learning. At the end of the story he places a banner outside of the school that reads: A Smart, Smart School.
