Brand-New Pencils, Brand-New Books

PreS-Gr 1—It's the first day of school, with all of its worries and small successes. Gilbert, a hedgehog, is entering first grade and his little sister, Lola, is starting preschool. We follow Gilbert as he makes it through a day of school, getting to know new classmates and a new teacher, and understanding all the new rules and routines. The boy and his sibling happily come to realize that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and they will be just fine. Peter Pamela Rose expressively narrates Diane deGroat's picture book (HarperCollins, 2004) and, along with Jason Harris, creates unique voices for each character. Some gentle background sound effects are added. This fun choice for students during the first week of school will help ease fears and lead naturally into the establishment of classroom protocols.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA