Vera Jewel is Late for School

A girl with a catchy name is always late for school. “Vera Jewel is Late for School” by Nikola Kent follows the week of a schoolgirl who unfortunately broke her favourite bike on Monday and had to find alternative ways to get to school.

This review contains spoilers.

Many would be discouraged, but that is not Vera’s personality. She faces the challenge by going to extremes, buying her neighbour’s champion mule and flying with a plane. On Sunday, Vera addresses her failed attempts to come to school on time and fixes her bike to a gigantic size. The new invention becomes the ‘thing’ pupils talk about in school. And it is even more fun when everyone has a ride on it at the end of the day.

“Vera Jewel is Late for School” is a story that teaches that creativity is rewarding. (Don’t miss the last spread of the “Headteacher’s Award to Vera Jewel for never giving up!”). Vera’s enthusiasm for finding a solution can provoke children to think of how to travel to school, authentically or imaginatively. The text is simple with a few advanced words, for example, ‘forlorn’ and ‘plight’. The colourful and joyful illustrations closely follow the text—a different story to the bookshelves when you teach the days of the week and emphasise punctuality.

A cheerful read for any occasion!

The Stats:

• Title: Vera Jewel is Late for School
• Author and Illustrator: Nikola Kent
• ISBN-13: ‎978-1509852345
• Publication Date: 2018
• Page Count: 32
• Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books
• Recommended age: 3-6
• Categories/Topic: School, Time, Punctuality

Further Information:

If you loved Vera Jewel is Late for School, check out more information about its author and illustrator:

• Visit Nicola Kent’s website

Where to Find it:

• Buy on Amazon: Vera Jewel is Late for School
• Find on: Goodreads

Further reading on punctuality to school:

• Buy on Amazon: Stop the Clock! by Pippa Goodhart