I really wrestled with what kind of a rating to give this book.  I guess I’m settling on a somewhat grudging recommended.  I love the illustrations: I think they’re beautiful, and they do an excellent job of providing modern day students with a glimpse of what school and childhood looked like in Colonial America. I like the rhyme and rhythm of the text, too, with just a few lines of verse on each page.  I just wish the there was a little more mortar filling in the connection between the verses and the illustrations — I think the book will have a hard time standing on its own with young readers who will need some sort of outside source (a knowledgable adult handy, or some previous study) to explain some of the references/vocabulary.  As a read-aloud, it could make a good introduction or addition to a unit on Colonial American history, as long as it is supported in some way, with discussion to set the stage for the time period.