by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 09, 2010

"Jake's 100th Day of School" is a funny story about schoolchildren. But its whole plot revolves around the number 100 - and the tension it creates for a boy named Jake. Jake's teacher, had been tracking the days of the school year by adding links to a paper chain. And on the 100th day of school, each student is supposed to bring in their own collection of 100 things!

Lester L. Laminack wrote the story, and lays out the details of the collections each student brought. It's a very gentle story, since Jake is already prepared for the 100th day too. Jake's prepared to show the students a scrapbook where he's collected 100 different memories. Jake's only problem comes when he's catching the morning school bus.  A simple illustration shows him at his front door running after the bus - and leaving his collection of memories behind!

Much of the book's sense of fun comes from Judy Love’s bright illustrations of the excited schoolchildren. For example, the school bus is yellow - and so is Jake's jacket. He wears a red scraf, and his memory book is blue - with lots move colors on its cover, including orange, green, and purple! On the bus there's smiling children, with different hairstyles and expressions. But they're all dressed in colorful clothing, which complements the happy smiles on their faces.

Laminack shares the excitement of the other students to create a sense of the community - and build tension around Jake's own missing homework assignment. Mr. Thompson, Jake's teacher, has invited Jakes' Grandmother Maggie to their special day of class - and she's even brought along her 100-year-old aunt. A student named Henry glued 100 bottle caps to a poster. And a student named Douglas has collected 100 different signatures. There's 100 buttons, and 100 marbles - and at some point, even 100 airplanes. It makes it obvious that Jake needs a collection of his own - but it does it in the funniest possible way.

Jake talks to the school's principal - and the illustrator draws him with tears in his eyes. They discuss various options, until Jake gets a clever idea. He asks to borrow 100 books from the school principal's office.  She counts out the stacks - 10, 20, 30, 40... and soon he's got a collection of 100 things after all!

And then he brings his memory book to school on the next day - along with a picture of him sitting with his grandmother by the 100 books...

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