Late for School

Follow the rollicking, surreal adventures of a young boy as he races to get to school on time.

Smitty is never late for school. Not when his shoes get stuck in a sea of thick, black tar. Not when the sky rains snowmen down on the city streets. Not when he uses his coat for a sail to catch a gale and is swallowed up by a whale. Or when he encounters a robot from Mars eating up cars...or a very, very hungry T. Rex!

With rhyming language and a vivid imagination, author Mike Reiss demonstrates that, for some children, getting to school on time can be an adventure. Illustrator Michael Austin's humorous, exaggerated images colorfully bring to life the mischievous fun of the text.

The surprise ending will delight young readers as they cheer on Smitty and his heroic efforts to beat the school bell."Featuring a catchy cadence, Reiss's rhyming tale and Austin's pleasingly exaggerated artwork introduce a fresh-faced narrator. . . The narrative gives way to kid-pleasing nonsense as absurd incidents conspire to threaten the student's perfect punctuality record. . . Austin's wild and wily airbrushed illustrations make use of electric hues and skewed perspectives; large scale views present the earnest, wide-eyed hero manifesting an array of entertaining facial expressions. A surprise ending-complete with graphic details-wraps up this satisfyingly silly caper."—Publishers Weekly

"With photorealistic precision, Austin depicts an exaggeratedly panicked young scholar from a variety of canted and slanted points of view as he runs, flies, sails, and flails his way down city streets. . . Children tardy and timely will laugh at this droll recitation."—Kirkus ReviewsMike Reiss has garnered top awards as a television writer, producer, and showrunner, including four Emmys and a Peabody for his work on The Simpsons. A former president of the Harvard Lampoon and editor of The National Lampoon, he is also the author of several children's books. He lives in New York.

Michael Austin grew up in Florida and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. A creative director, he has created art for many companies, including record labels and magazines, and has illustrated a dozen children's books. He lives in Georgia.