GIANT-SIZED BUTTERFLIES ON MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

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GIANT-SIZED BUTTERFLIES ON MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Name: GIANT-SIZED BUTTERFLIES ON MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Author: Justin Roberts
ISBN: 9780525516439

by Justin Roberts ; illustrated by Paola Escobar ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2023

Will help children conquer their jitters while preparing to go back to school—or anytime.

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First days are always hard.

Despite Mom’s reassurance that the first day of school will be fine, a child has “giant-sized butterflies.” “How am I to know how it will go on my first day?” the young narrator asks. As Mom drives the child to school, the child asks if Mom can stay with them. Mom explains that everyone worries about new beginnings—even grown-ups. The child’s parents “had giant-sized butterflies” when they welcomed the child into their lives. But those butterflies aren’t a bad thing, Mom notes. They’re here to be our guides and to help us learn and grow. Now feeling much braver and more confident, the child strides toward the school and heads inside. Escobar’s realistic digital illustrations depict swirls of butterflies, rendered in a crayonlike scrawl, following the child to the breakfast table and to the car. As the narrative continues, they become bigger and bolder until at last we see the child with a huge pair of butterfly wings. Each page is filled with rich colors and details, and we see that the other students are trailed by their own butterflies—welcome reassurance that everyone grapples with nervousness. The child and their parents are brown-skinned; their community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will help children conquer their jitters while preparing to go back to school—or anytime. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: May 30, 2023

ISBN: 9780525516439

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
I'LL BE YOUR POLAR BEAR
by Justin Roberts ; illustrated by Chuck Groenink

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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...

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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)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)