Diane deGroat

Gilbert the opossum imagines himself as Surfer Dude on a fun-filled day at the beach.

It's the last day of first grade and Gilbert isn't sure what he's feeling. He's excited about summer vacation, but he will miss his teacher and his friends. He's also uncertain about the awards to be presented -- what can he possibly be best at? As the normal class routine is replaced by end of school activities, Gilbert deals with this typical rite of passage in a memorable and reassuring manner.

"...Jason Harris and Peter Pamela Rose perfectly capture the voices of Lola and the school kids... An entertaining additions to readalong collections for young children." -School Library Journal

"Young children will enjoy listening and reading along to this picture book's lively watercolor illustrations of Gilbert and his critter classmates. The narration is excellent in pacing and tone"- AudioFile Magazine

Gilbert the opossum gets stuck with a tattletale "buddy" on a class trip to Pilgrim Town.

On April Fools' Day, Gilbert is unhappy that everyone is tricking him and he is unable to get them back, but then he thinks of a great way to fool his best friend. Includes tricks hidden in the illustrations for the reader to find.

Gilbert's excitement over starting first grade turns to worry that the teacher will be mean, the work too hard, and his classmates too unfriendly, but throughout the day there are pleasant surprises.

Gilbert seems to be the only one in his class who cannot think of any ideas for an Earth Day project.

Gilbert forgets to do his homework over the weekend because he is busy playing in the snow and getting ready for Christmas, but then he comes up with a solution at the last minute.

Gilbert is excited about staying overnight at Camp Hi-Dee-Ho, until he hears about the legendary camp ghost.