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Last Day Blues    by Julie Danneberg & Judy Love Amazon.com order for
Last Day Blues
by Julie Danneberg
Order:  USA  Can
Charlesbridge, 2006 (2006)
Hardcover, Softcover
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch

It is the last week of school, and each day, Mrs. Hartwell has told the class how much she will miss all of them and their special time together. In turn, Mrs. Hartwell's students are just as sad, though they are looking forward to summer vacation.

The students want to cheer Mrs. Hartwell up so that she will not be devastated about the end of school, so they create a special greeting card for her. They leave school for the summer, happy that they have done their part to reduce Mrs. Hartwell's obvious depression and sadness.

This is a cute companion piece to Danneberg's First Day Jitters, where Mrs. Hartwell was afraid to teach at her new school, in the same way that a child would be afraid of his or her first day of school. The cartoon-like illustrations are comical and exaggerated. I love the details, such as the last page showing Mrs. Hartwell lounging on her hammock, and the hanging skeleton on the front cover holding a sign that says 'Bye!'

In a fun twist, the end of the book shows all the teachers in a Conga line, celebrating the end of school. Last Day Blues, a recommended read, demonstrates to children that teachers are human too.

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