bookshelf

FIRST DAY

Name: FIRST DAY
Author: Joan Rankin
ISBN: 0-689-84563-4

by Joan Rankin & illustrated by Joan Rankin ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2002

bookshelf

The first day of school is always a difficult transition for both parent and child and Haybillybun and his mother are no exception. Itemizing his problems, as he is coaxed to get ready, the preschool puppy moans that his “slip-slidey-fluffy feet” will prevent him from running and playing. Peering into the mirror, he proclaims that with his “horrible fuzzy ears,” he will be unable to hear the teacher. He finishes his litany of woes by proclaiming that this full name is just too long and that he wants to be called just “Bun,” but when he arrives at school, he is surprised to find that all of the other children have equally long and tongue-tying names. Returning home, Haybillybun’s mother begins to go about her day, but the sight of her son’s empty bedroom sends her flying back to the schoolyard to peer through the fence. Through the pickets, she sees him happily running through the playground. Later, a peek in the window shows him working quietly on a drawing. It is difficult to resist the beautiful watercolor illustrations that give such personality to the worried puppy and his friends. Children and parents alike will want to read this one again and again as they prepare for their own first day. Irresistible. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 1, 2002

ISBN: 0-689-84563-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: McElderry

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2002

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE RHINOS
by Joan Rankin ; illustrated by Joan Rankin

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS IS THE CHICK
by Wendy Hartmann ; illustrated by Joan Rankin

- BOOK REVIEW
THE AFRICAN ORCHESTRA
by Wendy Hartmann ; illustrated by Joan Rankin

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

bookshelf

Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)