Burgeoning with optimism and unadulterated fun, these gold-star picture books are sure to alleviate students' first-day worries, generate enthusiasm for things to come, and set the tone for the best school year ever. It will be smiles all around as children enjoy stories that blend realistic back-to-school situations and emotions with a bit of whimsy here, a comfortingly upbeat touch there, and an always-satisfying resolution. In addition to solid storytelling, these titles also feature eye-catching illustration in an array of vivid hues and varied artistic styles. Share these tales to welcome your students, reel in their boisterous energy, and begin to build a classroom community.
A Fine Beginning It's only the first day, but a curly haired girl and her classmates already feel confident that This School Year Will Be the Best! (Dutton, 2010; K-Gr 3). Humor and high hopes abound, as their teacher gathers them in a circle and asks each one to share a wish for the days to come. Varying from the feasible ("I won't lose things in my desk") to the far-fetched ("We'll have a chocolate fountain at lunch!"), each aspiration is presented along with a cheerful cartoon-style illustration that adds both detail and imaginary flair. Kay Winters and Renée Andriani create a sense of bright expectancy as the students express their desires and take ownership over the school year. The final spread shows the kids posed around their teacher, proudly displaying pictures illustrating their wishes. Use this buoyant book to launch a similar discussion and art project, and help your students to feel right at home.
Though your young learners may still be longing for summertime, you can grab their attention by sharing an amusing poem or two and irrefutably proving There's No Place Like School (Greenwillow, 2010; K-Gr 4). Selected by Jack Prelutsky, these 18 offerings cover the elementary experience with fresh childlike perspectives and lots of chuckle-inducing humor.
Topics include Lee Bennett Hopkins's image of a "wide-awake/freshly-painted-yellow/school bus" carrying sleepy-eyed boys and girls and "hundreds/upon/hundreds/of/school supplies"; Kalli Dakos's breathless "Countdown to Recess" on a sunny day ("Dash!/Gone in a flash!"); and Kenn Nesbitt's hilarious "Drinking Fountain" mishap ("The water squirted east and west./It squirted north and south./Upon my shirt, my pants, my hair-/but nothing in my mouth"). Aglow in kaleidoscope colors and featuring a cast of appealingly offbeat characters, Jane Manning's illustrations are filled with comical high jinks and dynamic motion. This is an enchanting book to dip into at the beginning of and throughout the school year.
Kindergarten Kick-Off Antoinette Portis's Kindergarten Diary (HarperCollins, 2010; PreS-K) charmingly chronicles a youngster's September experiences. Though Annalina worries about going to "Big School," things quickly settle into happy routine in room 2K, where she becomes comfortable with her not-at-all-scary teacher, conquers show-and-tell fears, and makes new friends. Set against crisp backdrops of wide-ruled paper with dotted lines, the characters and their environs are depicted in fluid cartoon artwork. Photo collage images add a sense of realism that will have readers smelling the crayons and hearing the bounce of a playground ball. By September's end, a contented Annalina proudly proclaims, "We are room 2K. We are fine!"
Fielding familiar worries with a nimble touch, Audrey Vernick's silly but reassuring picture book asks that ever-important question: Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? (Balzer + Bray, 2010; PreS-K). A large brown critter with a cheesy smile and teeny-tiny backpack follows a pigtailed girl into a classroom. At first, he feels a bit shy (after all, "it can be hard to start something new" and he's the "only one with horns. And a mane. Okay, and a hump"), but the children are soon waving hello ("who can resist that furry face?"). Though he can't master every skill or social situation—yet—the buffalo quickly realizes that "Everyone's special in his or her own way" and you can certainly "learn to get along without using your horns."
Daniel Jennewein's droll cartoons work in harmony with the tongue-in-cheek text to underscore the importance of cooperation, patience, and accepting people (or bison) for who they are. Kids will giggle out loud at the protagonist's expressions and antics, particularly on a wordless spread where he proudly poses with a hoof-painted masterpiece.
When the irrepressible Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten (Dial, 2010; PreS-K), she envisions all sorts of new escapades, loading her backpack with her zookeeper hat, high-wire slippers, and walkie-talkies just in case. However, she soon discovers that this new venture involves a set of "Gold Star Rules," many of which the free-spirited youngster has a bit of difficulty abiding by. With the patient explanations of her teacher, Mr. Todd, Annie begins to understand her missteps, and the story's climax has the girl embarking on a much-sought-after adventure (locating the missing milk-fetchers) while adhering to the rules, and happily earning her place as Mr. Todd's first Gold Star Deputy. Toni Buzzeo's jaunty text and Amy Wummer's jovial artwork convey a gentle message while keeping the tone effervescent. Use this bubbly book to introduce your own classroom rules and encourage individual exuberance.
Filled with charismatic photos of students and staff, Kindergarten Day USA and China (Charlesbridge, 2010; K-Gr1), a "Flip-Me-Over" photo-essay by Trish Marx and Ellen B. Senisi, draws parallels between classrooms in Schenectady, NY and Beijing. Told from the children's point of view, the simple narration describes the highlights of a typical day. Clocks on each spread point out the 12-hour time difference between the two countries, showing that when American children are eating lunch, their counterparts are most likely sound asleep. The Beijing section introduces one Chinese word per page, and a note explains how Chinese can be written in pinyin ("using the English alphabet to help people sound out the characters"). This inviting book illustrates the universality of the kindergarten experience.
Braving First Grade A boy experiences a bad case of the First Grade Jitters (HarperCollins, 2010; K-Gr 1) in a newly illustrated version of Robert Quackenbush's tale (Lippincott, 1982). What will his teacher will be like? Will his friends be there? Will he be able to handle the work? The youngster is reluctant to share his fears with his parents, who try to be understanding, but true relief comes when his pals return from vacation and Tammy reports that their teacher is super nice. Yan Nascimbene has updated the story with crisp pastel-hued paintings that expressively showcase the protagonist's changing emotions. The warm colors and subtle humor (including the amusing activities of the boy's dog and teddy bear) underscore the message that it's okay to worry about new endeavors but apprehensions are often unfounded. All is well by story's end, as the child launches into a game of "big yellow school bus" with his soon-to-be classmates.
Told entirely in buccaneer lingo and bursting with imaginative artwork, A Pirate's Guide to First Grade (Feiwel & Friends, 2010; K-Gr 1) provides a swashbuckling jaunt into this new frontier. Endpapers with skull and crossed swords and a room full of pirate-themed toys set the tone as a red-headed boy awakens (licked by his "great scurvy dog") to face the first day of school.
Accompanied by a band of wraithlike pirates in the background, the youngster shines his "snappers," gets "dressed double quick," downs his "grub," and rushes outside to board the "great, grand jolly boat" (school bus). After dropping anchor, he meets his "new cap'n. Silver was her name, and a fine old salt was she!" The day includes story time ("a whale of a tail!"), desk work (counting and spelling "'till we nearly dropped, brain-addled and weary"), and recess (with one smiling lass made to "walk the plank"...a.k.a. seesaw), but the highlight of the day is when Silver hands the boy an X-marks-the-spot map that leads him to "me treasure!" (the library and a booty of books).
James Preller's lively text and Greg Ruth's exuberant illustrations are fresh and inviting. Lush colors delineate the real world scenes while bronze-toned antique-looking sketches show the boy's imaginary companions brandishing swords, peering through spy glasses, swilling milk from a carton, and cavorting with jolly excess. This rip-roaring romp makes an alluring entrée to the first-day adventure.
The Dog-and Cat-Days of School Make your students feel welcome with some wonderful classroom tales featuring animal characters. With vivacious rhymes, Deborah Heiligman introduces Tinka, a Cool Dog, School Dog (Marshall Cavendish, 2009; PreS-Gr 2). Normally "...a fun dog,/a sun dog,/a run-and-run-and-run dog," this gleeful golden retriever undergoes a transformation after her young owner boards the school bus, becoming a "sigh dog,/a cry dog,/a has-to-say-good-bye dog." Never fear, the perky pooch finds her way to school, where she wreaks havoc before settling down to become a kid- (and eventually teacher-) pleasing "loves-to-hear-a-book dog."
From the bright-hued cover to each breezy spread, Tim Bowers's illustrations shimmer with action and humor. On an equally delightful if implausible note, Kindergarten Cat (Schwartz & Wade, 2010; PreS-K) describes how an orange-stripped stray kitty, found by the custodian, settles into a new home. J. Patrick Lewis's sweet, rhyming text pairs with Ailie Busby's lovely double-page artwork for a satisfying read-aloud.
Iza Trapani extends 14 traditional nursery rhymes to reflect—and celebrate—the experiences of a floppy-eared pooch and his doggy cohorts in Rufus and Friends: School Days (Charlesbridge, 2010; PreS-Gr 1). For example, the author's take on "The Ants Go Marching" humorously describes the students trooping to their classroom ("They march in step, in perfect rows,/The little one stops to pick her nose,/And they all go marching fast/To their class/To have fun/One by one!"). The tone is consistently positive and learning-friendly and the final offering climaxes with a resounding "If you love school and you know it, shout hurray!" Colorfully clothed cartoon canines of all breeds and bearings people the pages, and a list of hidden items at book's end adds a visual challenge. These lively rhymes will get toes tapping, hands waving, and imaginations zinging.
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