Rosie Smith (text), Bruce Whatley (illus.), My First Day at School, Scholastic Australia, 1 Jan 2016, 24pp., $16.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781743622964
Over the years, this remarkable duo have brought us many wonderful books and this is no exception, setting out to explore the first day at school. The initial character introduced is a young duckling and the text is written in the first person, as the timetable for the day is unpacked with amusing, unexpected and appealing illustrations. The importance of the characters is foregrounded in the way that all the illustrations simply use a pastel colour background so there is nothing to distract the eye from the character(s) depicted. There is minimal print on each page and the essence of what it means to start school is captured in the clever use of pronouns, which begins as’ I’ and by the end becomes ‘we’. This is a book that really captures the concept of a new world opening up when you begin school. Suitable for 3-6 year olds.
Reviewed by Sue Clancy