KINDERGARTEN IS COOL!

Rhyming verses show those new to school just how cool kindergarten will be.

“When you wake up for school / You’ll get dressed really cool. / With your sneakers and socks / And your lunch in a box… / Kindergarten’s begun. / Big kids say that it’s fun. / But is that really true? / Will it be fun…for you?” Both sequencing and the assured second-person address experience some bumps. Though the verses do talk about getting a ride (in a car driven by mom in the illustration), walking (with dad and a dog), or taking the bus, they begin by saying that “you wave bye to home. / Then you’re off—on your own!” Similarly, not every child will be sporting sneakers with socks on the first day or packing lunchboxes. But the generic kindergarten classroom is spot-on, with blocks and places to hang stuff, things to explore, and pretend play props. And certainly almost every kindergartener will be singing the ABCs, counting, hearing stories read aloud, playing outside at recess (if the weather’s nice), and making new friends. And the verdict at the end of the day? “It really is cool!” Chatterton’s seemingly digital illustrations portray a diverse group of kids, including one wearing glasses, though this class is very small—only seven kids.

A rollicking reassurance that school will be fun