ONLY OLIVER

In Jamerson’s debut picture book, a young boy feels anxious on his first day of school.

Oliver, a Black child, is not excited to be starting school. Oliver knows his letters, but not how to put them together into words. As a result, he accidentally sits at the desk belonging to Olivia, an Asian American girl with enormous red glasses. Although the whole class is just starting to learn reading, and everyone is encouraging and enthusiastic, Oliver feels disheartened because he assumes he is behind…especially when red-haired Sam sounds out a word he doesn’t recognize. By the end of the day, however, Oliver has learned not only how to blend sounds together but also how fun learning can be when friends help each other. Jamerson tells a heartening if unnuanced story, tackling Oliver’s anxiety and apprehension within the context of a wholly supportive environment shaped by an enthusiastic, upbeat teacher (Miss Green, who dresses to match her name); he’s immediately embraced by students who evince no negative qualities (“‘I’m so proud of you!’ says Miss Green. The whole class cheers and claps”). Oliver’s classmates (including one child with a hearing aid) are presented as a happy, sweet, ethnically diverse cohort. Remesz’s colorful illustrations capture the brightness and busyness of primary school, adding rainbow-hued, floating words to the vivacious digital images that keep the story bubbling along.

An encouraging introduction to the classroom.