COSTAIN, Meredith (text) Michelle Mackintosh (illus.) My First Day at School Windy Hollow/Helen Chamberlin, 2013 unpaged $25.95 ISBN 9781922081254 SCIS 1635054
This picture book addresses some of the concerns that children may have on their first day at school, from not having a partner, understanding all the rules, and wanting to go to the toilet. Most are happily resolved but some, such as not wanting to hold hands with a particular child, help children to understand that sometimes they have to do what they don’t want to do. The story introduces numerous children and follows the course of a school day. It ends with all the children looking forward to their second day – unfortunately not always the case. The pages mimic those of a lined exercise book; the illustrations are simple and lighthearted. With a few exceptions, the text is set in a small typeface that would be difficult for most prep-age children to read by themselves. Ages 4-6.
reviewed by Elizabeth Douglas
