Penny Matthews (text), Liz Anelli (illustrator), Maddie’s First Day, Walker Books Australia, September 2018, 32 pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781925381351
Maddie’s First Day joins the ranks of the many first day of school picture books out there. Matthews has done a lovely job of capturing both the excitement and nerves of starting school. We follow Maddie through from waking up, to sneaking her blanky into her school bag, to saying goodbye to her Dad, to realising that her friends are just as nervous as she is!
Matthew’s writing is deceptively simple. Her lack of flourish and embellishment mean the focus is on the many small, but important moments in such a big day. Maddie wonders if everyone else can read the words on the whiteboard and when she tries to sing, nothing comes out. When Charlie shows Maddie that he also smuggled his blanky in his school bag, they can’t stop giggling. These moments are day-defining at this age, and Matthew has focused on just the right ones.
Anelli’s illustrations are joyous and charming – and Maddie’s school looks just like the one I work in. The details are wonderfully appropriate to Australian kids. All the red hats heading through the school gates perfectly encapsulate how small preps seem and how huge those hats are.
There is something else lovely about this book. It has a couple of details that aren’t focused on, but both Matthews and Anelli should be commended on their choices. One, it is Maddie’s Dad who makes her lunch and takes her to school, while her Mum rushes to catch the train to work. This kind of representation continues to be rare in children’s literature, while the reality of this situation happens constantly. The other detail is that Maddie’s and her family’s skin is brown – but it is never mentioned. And in this story, it doesn’t need to be. As Rumaan Alam said in his Slate article, ‘All children (and the adults who are reading to them) would benefit from … kids of color as the heroes of utterly quotidian stories.’
Reviewed by Madeleine Crofts
