Book Review: Ozzie and the Art Contest

Author/Illustrator: Dana Sullivan
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Ozzie loves to draw. Ozzie loves drawing and being an artist more than anything—even more than skateboarding! So when his teacher, Miss Cattywhompus, announces an art contest, Ozzie can’t wait to get started. He works really hard on his picture of a goat. He knows it will win first place. There is only one problem. Miss Cattywhompus didn’t ask the class to draw pictures of goats—the contest instructions say "Draw a Boat." Ozzie’s picture doesn’t win first place. And even though it does win honorable mention, he is devastated. How could he not win? He worked so hard. With a little help from Miss Cattywhompus, Ozzie comes to see that he, with his love of art, has won something far more important than a contest.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a terrific book for teaching the skill of following directions. And it goes further by showing that a consequence can happen when you don't follow a direction. In Ozzie's case, he is so focused on winning the contest he " glanced at the instructions." Even after the teacher said, "remember to read the instructions very carefully." Ozzie beats himself up emotionally over it though. Finally, he is able to amend his mistake by making the boat. Good lessons in this one.

Really excited about having this new book in my line up for teaching academic skills. It's going to be a hit this fall. 

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