In this story of a third grade class at Prairie Dog Elementary School in Funnyface, Colorado, kids learn that things are not always as they seem and sometimes the goofiest idea turns out to be the best idea. Mr. Mahoney is a funny teacher who likes to act like a chimpanzee and often encourages his students to do the same. The principal, whose name is Mr. Principal, used to be a teacher. At his old school, the principal's name was Mr. Teacher. Working as a teacher named Principal with a principal named Teacher has caused Mr. Principal to go a little nutty. Mr. Principal can never understand that Mr. Mahoney's "Heinz time" is catch up time, not ketchup time. Hank thinks if he buries his pencil shavings a tree will grow. Meanwhile, the kids are sure there is something special about their class pet, Iggy the iguana. Any time someone goes up to Iggy's aquarium, the iguana stares and sticks out his tongue. Then the person feels something like a shiver until Iggy looks away. Kathryn makes up a jump rope song about Iggy controlling kids' brains. There's Jamison who loses everything, Invisible Randall (or is he?), Roy, the Slobber King, Jay who accidentally sets the room and his pants on fire, and Allen the Entertainer who likes to loudly sing and act out movies when he's in the bathroom. There's also Hobart, the tiny gnome who lives under the playground and wishes for a shade tree. The kids ask the principal if they can plant a tree but there is so much red tape involved they abandon the project. Laughs abound in this warm, inviting, and imaginative ride through a school that is truly cuckoo.
About the Author: Dave Kelley grew up in Littleton, Colorado and has been an advertising writer, a radio talent, a standup comedian, an actor, a stay at home dad, and an elementary school teacher. When his students used to ask him what he liked most about teaching, Dave would always say, "The kids make me laugh every day." As a teacher, Dave enjoyed helping his students learn to write fun, interesting, and imaginative stories by encouraging them to write about things they know. After 14 years of talking with and listening to kids, Dave took all that inspiration and started writing books for children. He says,"Hey, they wrote stories for me to read. Now it's my turn to write for them."