The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Burningham, John

John Patrick Norman McHennessy--the Boy Who Was Always Late

40 pp. | Knopf | July, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-0-375-85220-6 $16.99 | Library ISBN 978-0-375-95220-3 $19.99
Reissue (1987, Crown)

(1) K-3 Every day when a boy sets off "along the road to learn," some calamity (e.g., an encounter with a lion, a tidal wave) makes him late for school. His increasingly irritated teacher imposes harsh punishments, but John has the last laugh. Although the story is lighthearted, Burningham makes a serious point about the failures of the educational system.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1988