Official Review: What's College About Anyway?

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bookowlie
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Official Review: What's College About Anyway?

Post by bookowlie »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "What's College About Anyway?" by Betty Thomas Patterson.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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What’s College About Anyway by Betty Thomas Patterson is a children’s picture book that provides introductory information about college. The story takes place in an elementary school classroom, with the teacher giving a lesson about what college is and its positive aspects. The teacher, Mrs. Sims, explains that college is where you go to learn about whatever type of job you want when you grow up. There is basic information provided that college is not free (and how to pay for it), extracurricular activities, and how you can attend college near your town or far away. Mrs. Sims also asks the students questions, such as what do they want to be when they grow up and if anyone in their family had gone to college.

I enjoyed this short book as it broaches the subject of college to young children in an interesting way. The class discussion is thought-provoking – for example, getting kids to consider their goals and the possibility of attending college in another part of the U.S. or even another country. The picture book style would appeal to ages 4-8 although slightly older children might also like the story.

The book is perfect for beginning readers as the vocabulary is fairly simple, for the most part. I noticed only a few words that would likely be unfamiliar to a child – scholarship, grant, and tutoring. Many of the pages contain only one or two sentences and the illustrations provide good visual cues. There are also pages that include a few paragraphs, but they are short and easy to understand. The book would also be a nice choice for teachers or parents to read aloud and discuss during storytime.

The book is beautifully illustrated by Agus Prajogo. Each page contains a full-length picture and a few of the pictures are spread across two pages. The colorful artwork accurately represents each part of the narrative. I particularly liked that the illustrations showed diversity among both the elementary students and college students. I also liked the author’s choice of a casual, almost whimsical font for the text.

I am pleased to report the book is free of errors, as this is especially important in a children’s book. Too many independently published books contain spelling and grammatical errors, and it was refreshing to discover this was not the case here.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It’s an entertaining story which provides useful information to children about an important topic. It would make a great addition to a child or teacher’s bookshelf.

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What's College About Anyway?
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Post by gali »

A children’s picture book about college? Nice. It is great that the book broaches the subject of college in an interesting way, that the text is short and easy to understand, and that it is errors-free. I agree that the illustrations are great. Thank you for the great review!
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks Gali! It's certainly an original topic for a children's book.
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Post by kandscreeley »

I love the cover. That's a great topic to get children thinking from am early age. Very original. Nice review!
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks Kandscreeley! Although it is not the typical type of fun story for young readers, it will get kids to think about college in a positive light.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I'm sure I was asked that question when I was a little girl. It's been so long ago and I can't even remember what answer I gave. I turned out to be an accountant.

Your review made me nostalgic for those innocent years of my life. Thanks for making me remember, Bookowlie.
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Post by bookowlie »

Miriam Molina wrote:"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I'm sure I was asked that question when I was a little girl. It's been so long ago and I can't even remember what answer I gave. I turned out to be an accountant.

Your review made me nostalgic for those innocent years of my life. Thanks for making me remember, Bookowlie.
It's funny how some kids will say realistic things like "I want to be a fireman" and others will say "I want to be a princess." :)
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Post by MsTri »

Sounds like a really informative and educational book that belongs in classrooms in elementary school. I love that this is out there.
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Post by Mercelle »

A book that teaches children that there is more to life than what they currently know. It may seem like a vague idea to the children but such knowledge sticks with them for a long time.
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Post by Abodunrin »

i really appreciate your review it was concise and contained in the right proportion every information necessary to compel anyone to get the book. Although it seems the book is essentially meant for children but you were able to help adults to to see reasons to why they should read it too and that to me was a great job.
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Post by Kelebogile Mbangi »

I really like this idea. I went into college not fully prepared for it and I think it's a great idea to start preparing kids at an early age for it.

Thanks for the review. :)
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Post by Gunnar Ohberg »

Not only does this book sound well-executed, it sounds very crucial. I think children are definitely ready to become at least generally familiar with college at an elementary school age. The more a child knows about something, the less intimidating it becomes, and college should not be too intimidating! Great review!
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Post by ashley_claire »

What a great idea for a book! We should be telling kids about college from an early age. It also seems like this might be a good book to buy a younger sibling if they have an older brother/sister going to college. Great review!
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Post by TWalt »

I think this short story what's college about anyway? portrays what college really is simply enough for younger people to understand and take note of. And it was certainly easy for me to use in a seminar i taught about what to expect later in life and i even recommended the book to anyone who might have any questions. Thanks. :D
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Post by sunshinedee »

This book "What"s College Life Anyway by Thomas Patterson is very amazing and educational books for children.I like it!Very inspiring story!
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