100 Days in Orbit

May 26, 2014
For one brave boy, kindergarten isn’t just a grade—it’s a destination. He gets to school via rocket (one that looks suspiciously like his father’s hatchback), and considers his classmates to be aliens, including two that could be relatives of Cousin It. The boy adjusts to “zero gravity” (“We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot”), discovers that he likes space food, and freaks out during naptime: “Is the room running out of oxygen?” Prigmore’s manic digital art gives a nod to Jetsons-era cartoons, while Ganz-Schmitt’s metaphor will ring true with intrepid readers. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Jennifer Unter, the Unter Agency.

September 15, 2016
Ganz-Schmitt and Prigmore continue the space theme and follow the cast and crew from Planet Kindergarten (2014) as they celebrate the 100th day of school and all that they have learned so far. Kids who have experienced the 100th day in their own schools will certainly recognize many of things that go on in the narrator's "capsule" on this special day, and those who haven't will know what to look forward to, the highlight being each student's presentation of 100 items collected from home. But a day this out-of-the-ordinary, no matter the school, is bound to have a few mishaps. Luckily, the narrator has learned some stuff on Planet Kindergarten that will help him navigate the problems: coaching a sick classmate to the nurse's office, taking time to help a crewmate find her medal of honor, and avoiding a collision between a kicked ball and an incomplete rocket ship. But what about the huge mess created when the lid on the narrator's box of 100 aliens gets stuck...and then suddenly flies off? Quick thinking saves the day, along with some good, old-fashioned cooperation: "Operation Cleanup is a go!" As in the first, Prigmore's digital art is filled with retro details, bold colors, and the (mostly extraterrestrial) crewmates the brunet white boy calls friends. The seamless additions of lessons on cooperation and kindness bring this to a new level, but it can't top the original book for creativity. (Picture book. 4-7)

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January 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 1-The space crew from Planet Kindergarten return to celebrate their 100th day of school. Presented as a "star log," the story is narrated by a freckled-faced boy who recaps, with "galactic pride," the skills he has learned so far. Showing leadership, compassion, and bravery, he helps his fellow "kindernauts" out of jams, such as episodes of "anti-gravity" sickness, misplaced "Medals of Honor," and an errant red ball on a collision course with the classroom Popsicle-stick rocket ship. When the boy is called upon by his "commander" to deliver a report on 100 aliens, his mission hits a snafu when the box lid suddenly opens and extraterrestrials fly everywhere. The enterprising young cadet turns the calamity into an "Operation Cleanup" drill that encourages teamwork and cooperation. Prigmore's brightly animated digital illustrations seem to glow against the jet-black backgrounds. VERDICT Intergalactic, madcap fun for storytime and classroom read-alouds.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.

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