Just right for new kindergartners and preschoolers who cannot yet read words, this is one school story that they will be able to help in reading.
The draw of Sierra’s latest is the rhyming verse that is interspersed with rebus pictures, allowing children to chime in and participate in the telling. It is the first day of school for Frog, Duck, Mouse and Snail. The first-day activities include writing their names, building with blocks, counting and playing alphabet games. They also sing with their teacher, Mr. Burkey, attend art class with Mrs. Rabbit and, of course, eat lunch: “The polka-dot snail / Brought her lunch in a [pail]. / The duck had some soup in a [cup]. / The frog caught a [fly], / And the mouse shared her [pie] / With their teacher, who gobbled it [up].” By the end of the day, they are all fast friends who love school. Davick’s brightly colored digital illustrations show all the quintessential elements of school—from the playground and bus outside to the decorations and supplies inside. Throughout, kindness, sharing and being helpful are modeled by the anthropomorphized cartoon animals in both the artwork and the nursery-rhyme cadences.
A comforting and empowering build-up to the big day—kindergarten (or preschool), here we come! (Picture book. 3-6)
