Cover Image: Anne's School Days

Anne's School Days

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

If you've known me for very long at all, you know Anne of Green Gables is my hero. And my therapist. And my friend. There isn't very much in life that a good cuddle and read with an L. M. Montgomery book can't make better. Throw a cup of tea into the mix, and it's even better than chocolate.
So of course I wanted to share Anne with my kids as soon as humanly possible. I started reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to my oldest daughter when she was 6 or 7, which seemed to me a very long time to wait. Note to other obsessed moms: don't do that. 6 or 7 is just too early to enjoy Anne, and you might (like I did) create a situation where something that should be happy and wonderful and peaceful actually causes stress. Lucy couldn't understand LMM's complicated language, and the paragraphs and chapters were just too long for even my bright second grader to manage.
And yet... I still though much of Anne's story had appeal for younger readers, so with my other kids I'd abridge as a I went along, reading the easier bits and skipping over the complicated or wordy parts.
I'm pretty grateful that someone else has now done that for me, pairing a short and sweet snapshot of certain scenes of the book with absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Even the endpapers had me swooning.
I'm happy to say that my current 7-year-old adores Anne as much as I do, thanks to this series. She actually came into my room this morning with freckles drawn all over her nose, asking me for permission to dye her hair orange. Ah, what a tribute.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!

Was this review helpful?

Another delightful entry into the Anne chapter books series! The artwork is beautiful and the text does a great job of transforming Anne's story into an enjoyable, relatable, and accessible tale for young readers. (And, let's face it, this grown up is happy to read the "slate scene" at any level!)

Was this review helpful?

Such a great, bite-sized look into the Anne of Green Gables world. Adults will often want to share Anne's world with their children and press the chapter book on them; however, the length certainly pushes younger readers away. This picture book is a great introduction into the characters, setting, and themes of the book while being in a digestible format. I also love that this snippet chooses to focus on Anne's love for school and her healthy friendships. I can't wait to recommend this!

Was this review helpful?

This mini, summarized version of a few chapters from LM Montgomery’s classic, Anne of Green Gables, does an excellent job of abridging and simplifying the original text for younger readers. For the most part, Kallie George’s adaptation manages to get the highlights in there, retain much of Montgomery’s flavor and style in a simplified form, and make everything work coherently and smoothly; I will note that I’m not sure about the inclusion of Diana commenting that Anne’s hair is getting darker, “almost auburn,” without the hair dye incident to make the change make sense. But it’s a pretty successful abridgment, and the artwork really makes up for any lack. The illustrations by Abigail Haluin are beautifulc charming, and fun, with expressive characters and gorgeous, richly colored and textured natural scenes (autumn leaves, Lake of Shining Waters, etc). The result is an endearing and lovely adaptation that could easily act as an introduction to the Anne books for those still too young to read the originals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the advance review copy!

Was this review helpful?

An early reader series about our friend, Ann-with-an-E? Sign me up!! I wish our library had these books by Kallie George because the illustrations are BEAUTIFUL.

Anne's School Days is fun because it's the story when Anne and Gilbert first meet -- the carrots/slate episode and the rescue scene when the boat sinks are included in this adorable book.

I want the whole series now!

Was this review helpful?

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but if this one is anything to go by, they’re a great way to introduce very young readers to Anne of Green Gables. This one is a very short, illustrated treatment of Anne at school, so as you might guess, it centers around the “carrots” episode and its aftermath. It retains some of the original dialogue and thoughts, but is pared down to be easily read in just a few minutes.

Though I think LM Montgomery’s work is pretty accessible even to young readers, I could see a place for this if a child is not quite ready for long chapter books. The stories and the characters are so timeless that I think it’s lovely to introduce them to a child as soon as possible!

The illustrations were very nice for the most part, but... something’s happened to Matthew in the pictures. He’s turned hipster or something. It’s rather humorous.

Was this review helpful?

It's such a beautiful. I can't wait to feel the actual hardcopy book.
It's also a perfect illustrated chapter book for middle grades.

Was this review helpful?

This is a lovely adaptation of the L.M. Montgomery classic that captures Anne's true character with several beautiful illustrations
I would definitely buy this for any young bookworms who are itching to try something classic.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this nostalgic Anne of Green Gables short retelling. The art was stunning, and the story was brief and easy to read, so it is perfect for anyone from a smaller kid to an adult rereading this book. I love Anne of Green Gables and, for me, this book did not disappoint! I recommend if you liked Anne of Green Gables!

Was this review helpful?

The illustrations are quite charming and a certain kind of reader will really enjoy this book. I did not; I'm not a fan of simplified retellings of classic books: Why not just wait until the reader is ready for the "real thing"? The simplified language loses the delight and wit of the original. Overall, I'd buy it for my library, but I can't say I'm very excited about it.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful Anne story. This book has gorgeous illustrations and shows Anne and Gilbert’s relationship from broken slate to sinking boat rescue. It’s simplified for children but it’s still a lovely story. I would definitely recommend this for young readers.

Was this review helpful?

ARC copy...Did like the warm and whimsical-poetic sounding text especially when it comes to the infamous Anne moment. The illustrations are beautiful too.

Was this review helpful?

Oh, how I adore this series!! It's a fabulous way to introduce Anne Shirley's story to the littlest tykes. "Anne's School Days" chronicles the events of Gilbert calling her Carrots (what a scene at school!) and the day that Anne has to be rescued from her play-acting on the raft in the river.

Have I mentioned yet the amazingly gorgeous illustrations?! I'm in love with pictures.

Definitely 5 stars!! Would make a lovely gift.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

I love Anne in all of her forms, and this book is no different. The text itself lends itself nicely to the story while modifying it for someone of a lower reading level. Since I hadn't realized that this was part of a series of books all inspired by "Anne of Green Gables", I found that this one could have used a little bit more of an explanation of Anne's background if it were to stand alone.

The real gems in this book are the illustrations. The colors are vibrant, and they are absolutely delightful to look at. I'd love to have some of the prints to hang on my wall.

Was this review helpful?

Not as cute as the first two but I know the friendship between Gilbert and Anne is one of fondness for many. As usual the illustrations and colours are gorgeous

Was this review helpful?

My daughters and I absolutely adored this book. The illustrations are lovely. It’s the perfect introduction to Anne for young readers. We love the other books in this series and can’t wait for more!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the DRC!

In this book, we see Anne and Gilbert meeting each other for the first time at school. It's a short book, but so lovely. The Illustrations are absolutely wonderful! I'd love to have this complete collection on my shelf someday. I'm sure all the fans (even grown ups like me) will appreciate it!

Was this review helpful?

I received an advance copy of, Anne's School Days, by Kallie George. I love the Anne series, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, so I really loved this book for kids of all ages.

Was this review helpful?

I really liked this! It was like a summary of the "Anne of Green Gables" book! It's a perfect read for young readers because it's written in a simple way. There's even illustrations to keep the reader interested.

Was this review helpful?

A retelling of the beginnings of Anne and Gilbert. Such a lovely depiction of the story with the words and pictures both painting pictures of some of my favorite scenes from the original book.

Was this review helpful?