Next Stop

April 19, 2021
“There’s no need to be anxious or worried, palms sweaty./ It’s time for kindergarten, and you are READY!” In workmanlike rhyming couplets, Jorden lists preschool accomplishments for an audience preparing to move up. In Back’s bold, blocky art, classmates of varying abilities, skin tones, and fanciful hair colors exhibit all they’ve learned: “You know all the colors, like yellow and purple./ And you know all the shapes, from triangle to circle.” The board book pages encompass learning letters and numbers, dressing and shoe-tying, flushing and washing hands after using the potty, and social skills such as taking turns. The final spread, which points students toward a smiling anthropomorphized “kindergarten” building, feels a bit sudden, but the simple message, proudly emphasizing everything the preschool set has achieved, is likely to reassure—“Next stop: kindergarten! You’re ready to go!” Ages 3–5.