GWEN AND GABBY GO BACK TO SCHOOL

In this series picture book, Galgey presents a tale of two sisters who have different attitudes about change.

Sisters Gwen and Gabby are playing outside on the last day of summer break. The girls are sad that the season’s activities are ending, so their mother tries to cheer them up. She mentions that the girls will get new teachers and classmates, but Gwen is upset about these changes. Still, Gwen and Gabby pick out first-day-of-third-grade outfits and take bubble baths. That evening and the next morning during breakfast, Gabby feels ready for school, but Gwen remains worried and doesn’t know how to speak up about it; the girls’ mom notices Gwen’s anxiety but doesn’t discuss it. During the school day, Gwen hangs back and waits before spotting two friends in the classroom line and happily beginning her first day. Galgey’s book clearly portrays how the two siblings approach new things very differently. The story’s message about how to handle anxiety regarding new things feels muddled and confusing, however, and illustrator African’s full-color images are stiff and feature similar body positions from page to page, giving them a copied-and-pasted appearance. The mother, father, and children are depicted with varying skin tones.

An unevenly executed tale of first-day-of-school jitters.