By Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal--Curriculum Connections
It's Time for School! Tales for Sharing Aloud Welcome your students with a line-up of hot-off-the-presses picture books guaranteed to ease first-day jitters, stir up enthusiasm for new classroom endeavors, and kick off a superb school year. Whether they take a soothingly familiar realistic approach or soar off into flights of fancy, these offerings treat common beginning-of-the-year concerns with empathy, heartening humor, and an upbeat tone. Read these kid-captivating tales aloud to reassure youngsters that their apprehensions are shared by others and to show them that no challenge is insurmountable.
Gearing Up for the Big Day
Already featured in Anne and Lizzy Rockwell's series of classroom-friendly books, the likable students from Mrs. Madoff's room are looking forward to a brand-new year. Their busy preparations for the First Day of School (HarperCollins, 2011; PreS-Gr 2) include getting grown-up-looking haircuts, purchasing the perfect backpack, and buying shoes with room to wiggle toes.
Meeting up at the park, these school-going veterans reminisce about starting out last year (Sam admits, "I was so scared"), revel in new achievements and responsibilities (Jessica has learned to make her own lunch), and share their joyful anticipation. The artwork's clean lines and cheery colors are inviting, and youngsters will relate to the small details nestled in the narrative as well as to the kids' camaraderie and affable self-confidence.
In Judy Sierra and Linda Davick's fun-to-share rebus story, vivacious verses and popsicle-hued pictures reveal the satisfying first-day experiences of a group of eager animals. After hurrying to their classroom (via sailboat, skateboard, and truck), being greeted by a kind teacher (Tom Burkey, a guitar-wielding turkey), and taking part in an assortment of educational activities and games, these enthusiastic new students are ready to wholeheartedly declare, We Love Our School!(Knopf, 2011; PreS-Gr 1).
Glimpses at realistic routines are provided along with the touches of humor, keeping the presentation pertinent but light. The picture clues in the text and the consistent rhyme scheme will encourage youngsters to chime in when the book is read aloud, generating a mood of jovial participation and promoting pre-reading listening and decoding skills.
As Eddie Gets Ready for School (Scholastic, 2011; PreS-Gr 1), this spirited youngster uses a series of checklists to make sure that he does everything right, though his mother doesn't always agree with his choices (e.g., "Watch cartoons" and "Drink root beer" are quickly amended to read "Turn off TV this instant" and "Pour out root beer").
While many of the listed items seem appropriate ("Get dressed"), David Milgrim's hilarious cartoon illustrations often tell a different story (Eddie is clothed in only pajama bottoms and a red cape, holds a sword and shield, and wears his underwear helmet-style on his head). Never mind, the boy is determined to be both independent and organized, and readers will admire his spunk, appreciate his humorous missteps, and perhaps be inspired to take on a bit more morning-time responsibility.
It's the night before Seven Little Mice Go to School(NorthSouth, 2011; K-Gr 2), and though Mother has made careful preparations—crafting "seven hats from bottle caps and seven book bags from cocoons and seven pairs of shoes from walnut shells"—she still meets with resistance from her offspring ("School is too far away," "We won't know anyone," "There will be a bully," etc.). Coming up with a clever plan, she rolls out two parallel lines of yarn through the forest while her little ones sleep, and the next morning, invites them to climb aboard the train for school. Who could resist?
The youngsters clamor into line behind her, each one holding the tail of the mouse in front, and merrily chug along, encountering some surprises and a moment of whisker-twitching danger before they reach their destination. Haruo Yamashita's inventive tale recasts typical first-day fears into an adventure filled with drama, whimsy, and gentle humor. Kazuo Iwamura's warm-hued illustrations delineate a delightful miniature world and convey the easy-to-relate-to emotional highpoints, from the septuplets' initial reluctance to their triumph.
Catherine Urdahl's Polka-dot Fixes Kindergarten (Charlesbridge, 2011; K-Gr 3) deftly combines first-day dilemmas with themes of friendship, burgeoning independence, and learning to relate to others. Grandpa has always fixed everything, but now that Polka-dot is off to school, it soon becomes painfully apparent to the youngster that she is on her own. Even Grandpa's portable fix-it kit—containing duct tape, soap, and dotted bandages—doesn't seem to help when Polka-dot comes up against Liz, a girl who favors all things striped, constantly says mean things, and seems impossible to get along with.
Despite this less-than-stellar start, a mishap on the playground soon has Polka-dot figuring out what to do, taking action that leads to a satisfying ending and a new friendship. Vibrantly illustrated with Mai S. Kemble's descriptive artwork, the text realistically describes the interactions between the two girls, portrays a wide spectrum of behaviors and emotions, and conveys the believable and hopeful resolution.
Hands Off, Harry! (HarperCollins, 2011; PreS-Gr 1), the first installment in Rosemary Wells's new "Kindergators" series, offers another opportunity for launching discussions about appropriate classroom behaviors and positive interpersonal relationships. Miss Harmony's class is repeatedly disrupted when Harry has a hard time keeping his hands to himself and nothing seems to be helping, not even a time-out in the Thinking Chair. That is until classmate Babette comes up with a brilliant idea. Ensconced in a bumper tube from the gym's bouncing set, Harry can no longer reach anybody else and is unable to make trouble—or to join in group activities—a situation that affords him "a lot of time to think about personal space."
Portrayed in tactile emerald-green collage, the charismatic alligator characters are clothed in colorful prints and sport expressive features. A believable conflict with a clever and constructive solution—as well as the author's infallible knack for portraying children with both realism and charm—make this book a winner. An appended spread provides suggestions on using the book with students and "Creating Classroom Harmony."
As a young girl celebratesThe Last Day of Kindergarten (Marshall Cavendish, 2011; PreS-Gr 1), she remembers the highlights of a year spent in Mrs. Popinski's classroom and looks forward to beginning first grade. Nancy Loewen's smooth-reading narrative and Sachiko Yoshikawa's spring-hued mixed-media artwork convey a realistic blend of emotions—sadness at leaving familiar routines and faces behind, delight in numerous successes, hopes and expectations for the coming year—while describing a graduation ceremony complete with "funny flat hats...made out of poster board and yarn" and an audience filled with proud family members. Share this tale with kindergartners to outline the possibilities of the year to come or read it to first graders to help ease a tough transition.
Alleviate Anxieties...and Put Smiles on their Faces
When a crew of kid-sizePirates Go to School (Scholastic, 2011; K-Gr 2), the boisterous buccaneers navigate through a typical day with a hearty blend of freewheeling spirit and raring-to-learn enthusiasm. Colorfully clothed in traditional swashbuckling attire, the not-too-frightening seadogs hang their swords on coatrackhooks and settle in with the other students to learn their letters and arithmetic ("Two skulls plus one is three"), create works of art (cannonballs out of clay), and participate in show-and-tell (a treasure chest).
Snack time makes for interesting food choices (not peanut butter, cheese, or carrots, but "slimy squid,/and crackers for their parrots") and recess brings "'walk the plank'/and other games quite daring./But then the teacher calls time-out/because she hears them swearing." Though the brigands raise a cry for mutiny, their protests are quickly quelled by the promise of story time and yarns of "ships at sea" and "pirate treachery."
The day ends with smiles all around and a resounding "Yo ho ho." Corinne Demas's buoyant rhyming verses and John Manders's bold artwork—filled to the brim with clever pirate-inspired details—make an entertaining and easy-to-swallow introduction to classroom routines, activities, and behaviors.
In Judy Schachner's Skippyjon Jones Class Action (Dutton, 2011; K-Gr 4), everyone's favorite big-dreaming Siamese kitty boy (who thinks he's a Chihuahua) is just dying to go to school, but according to his mama, school is only for the dogs—those "unruly and drooly" hounds in need of training. However, this irrepressible protagonist is determined, and before two shakes of a cat's tail he's slipped into his "Chi-wa-la" persona, skedaddled into his closet, and boarded a bus for the Barker Academy.
Meeting up with his Chihuahua amigos, El Skippito Friskito bounds into a whirlwind of classroom activities that include drawing "his best ever double doggie doodle" in art, baying "like a beagle for the canine chorus," and sniffing out a few good books at the library, before donning his mask and cape to take on his biggest challenge: a terrifying "woolly bully" who spins through the hallways in a tiny "turbo-charged taza" (yes, it's a teacup Chihuahua wearing a sweater).
Supercharged with Spanish terms, rhyming songs and verses, and lots of tongue-tickling wordplay, the narrative makes a lively read-aloud. The dynamic artwork, aglow in rich hues, conveys the action and extends the humor and the funny detail-filled pages will have kids asking for a closer look.
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School(Putnam, 2011; K-Gr 3) explores first-day themes through the candied eyes of a well-known folktale character. Fresh out of the oven, the sweet-as-can-be protagonist pops off a pan and sets out to find the children who mixed his ingredients, baked him in an oven, and then left him behind. Spouting a rhythmic refrain, the gingerbread man searches the halls, meeting and getting patient assistance from the gym teacher, nurse, art teacher, and principal along the way. When he's finally reunited with his creators (they had gone to recess while he cooled), the now-contented confection is invited to become a part of the class.
Filled with appealing silliness, Laura Murray's sparkling rhymes never miss a beat. Mike Lowery's cartoon illustrations have an endearing childlike quality that effectively conveys the main character's innocence and desire to belong while underscoring the off-beat humor. Concocted out of simple shapes and flat features, the gingerbread man makes good fodder for craft projects. A fold-out poster of this charismatic cookie can be hung on a classroom door and includes a recipe and book-related activities designed to help introduce new students to school routines and acclimate them to unfamiliar surroundings.
Kyle's first-day anxieties are comically exacerbated when his older brother provides him with a list of Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus(Clarion, 2011; Gr 1-4). Once on board, the nervous youngster quickly finds himself unintentionally disobeying each and every decree ("Never sit in the first row," "Never talk to big kids," "Never touch anyone's stuff," etc.), but to his surprise, he doesn't end up getting laughed at or even pounded. Instead, by the end of the homeward trip, he has made a new friend, found a way to communicate with a bully, and even convinced the grumpy bus driver to drop kids off across the street from a scary dog, while gaining some insight about the value of his sibling's advice.
John Grandits's first-person narrative blends a conversational tone with delightful descriptions to believably present Kyle's perspective while Michael Allen Austin's acrylic paintings humorously combine realistic scenarios with examples of the youngster's powered-by-imagination perceptions (a hulking big kid takes on the demeanor of a grizzly bear). Genuine worries and emotions are mixed in with the tall-tale-style telling, and the book's exaggerated humor and upbeat ending will help defuse fears and build confidence for taking on new challenges.
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