Anne Rockwell is one of those picture book authors who doesn’t disappoint. Her latest offering First Day of School is no exception.
This is a class of story that preschool and elementary teachers, parents and librarians read during August and September to prepare and discuss and relate to a child’s feelings about the first day of school.
This book deals with a group of children who are returning to school, perhaps to 1st grade. They are all preparing for the first day of school this year by doing things that most children look forward to: getting new clothes and supplies and haircuts. They meet on the playground right before school and talk about what they are looking forward to, and also share some of their fears from the first day last year.
Lizzie Rockwell’s (her daughter?) realistic illustrations are pastel-colored, comforting and beautiful. I love that a rainbow of children are pictured, and both boys and girls are featured prominently.
There is a fair amount of text on these pages, which makes it perfect for kids with a little bit longer attention span, but I think that the theme would work equally well for a child entering preschool for the first time, or a child returning to 1st grade.
Jennifer Donovan still gets excited about the first day of school. She blogs at Snapshot.
This sounds really good. We’re always looking for books to give to our parents coming to school for the first time, you know….good ones that they can read to their kids before they get to the actual building.
Yeah, this is a great book transitioning from summer into the school year, with a completely realistic mix of fears and excitement.