About the Holiday

There’s no mistaking that it’s that time of year again! The stores are stocked with notebooks, backpacks, lunchboxes, pens, pencils, glue sticks…. Well…you know! Summer school vacation is winding down—for some kids it may already be a memory—and the promise of another year is on the horizon. There are a lot of ways to get kids ready to go back to school. Reading books that reflect all the feels is one of the best!

It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!

By Lindsay Ward

Jack and his favorite toy, Dexter T. Rexter are stomping and chomping and singing when Jack’s mom calls him for breakfast. While Jack is off enjoying his meal, Dexter is excited to tell you that he’s excited about tomorrow. What’s tomorrow? Show-and-Tell day! It seems that Dexter has been preparing for weeks so he’ll make a good impression. Why all the fuss? Dexter says that “Every toy dreams of being taken to Show and Tell. If things go well, I’ll get super-special-keep-forever status.”

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All this pressure, is making Dexter a little nervous, though. His eyes are twitching, he has “fidgety claws” and a “cowardly tail position” and he feels it right in the pit of his stomach. He’s worried that no one will like him. Maybe a costume is just the thing. He tries on a bunny costume, an astronaut suit, and an Elvis getup. But none are really Dexter, even though the Elvis cape sparkles.

How about a spicy dance routine or reciting “the state capitals backwards” or a funny impression? No? No? and NO? Dexter is beside himself. “This is NOT good. I don’t have any skills! I can’t dance. I can’t recite. I can’t SHOW or Tell!” And then the worst fear hits Dexter: “What if Jack doesn’t think I’m cool enough for Show and Tell anymore?” Dexter thinks of all the other—possibly cooler—toys in Jack’s toy box.

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Suddenly, Dexter doesn’t feel too well. It’s a “Total Freakout!” As Dexter is calming himself down, he hears a small voice—yours—reassuring him. He considers your suggestion. “Go as myself? That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.” Still…. There is one thing he’s good at…. The next day Jack and Dexter T. Rexter stomp and chomp and sing their way through the best Show and Tell ever.

Lindsay Ward’s endearing Dexter T. Rexter, is back with another conundrum that sends his emotions into overdrive, causing him needless worry. Through her humorous interactive story, Ward lets young readers reassure Dexter that he’s smart enough, talented enough, and that people like him just the way he is as they also internalize this important lesson. Kids will giggle and laugh out loud as Dexter tries on silly costumes, shimmies and shakes to a hot musical beat, and tries an impression that falls flat, but as Dexter’s self-defeating doubts result in a stomachache and full on freakout, they’ll understand that empathy and kindness are what Dexter needs most.

Ward’s bold, mixed-media illustrations highlight Dexter’s emotions, his attempts to “improve” himself, and the joy he feels when playing with his best friend, Jack. Jack’s classroom is a welcome depiction of diversity, including one student in a wheelchair. Dynamic typography guides the kind of dramatic reading that would elicit all the humor and feeling from this multilayered story.

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2018 | ISBN 978-1503901377

Discover more about Lindsay Ward, her books, and her art on her website.

Check out this It’s Show and Tell, Dexter! book trailer!