P.K. Hallinan has written a whole series of special days books - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Christmas, Easter, and First Day of School. In fact, he's written and illustrated over 100 books for children, focusing primarily of family relationships, holidays, and character development.
Written in verse, this is the story follows a young boy through his first day of school, and he is excited about it, something we don't see often enough is recent children's literature with so many books on the market trying to address anxiety and fear over a new school year.
He jumps out of bed and gets ready, including having a big breakfast. He notes that the other students are "shined up like diamonds for their very first day," and that the teachers are quick to make them feel welcome - another positive message about school - hooray!
The Kindergarten teacher reassures her students that with their nametags, they won't get lost or get on the wrong bus, more fears addressed - BAM!
They find their tables and cubbies, talk about manners and safety, learned where the bathrooms are, and had a snack. They have a recess, practice some word families, and play some games a great first day of Kindergarten!
He goes home excited to return the next day - teacher win!
Simple, with plenty of opportunities to let children fill in the rhyming words and compare and contrast their first day of school with his. A must-have for your back-to-school collection.
Amazon carries this as a used book. While you're there, take a look at the rest of his oeuvre. His books are always sweet, speak to the child rather than the adult reading partner, have a positive message, and his illustrations are cute and colorful.
