Chu's First Day of School

Neil Gaiman is a master of suspense in this story of a boy who is seeking to identify his special talent. Gaiman's varying tempos make his narration sound like a musical score. As young Chu starts his day in conversation with his father, Gaiman's delivery is steady and gentle, his voice exuding the father's love for his son as well as mystery regarding Chu's individual abilities. In the classroom, Gaiman's pace and volume quicken as the teacher inquires about the talents and interests of the students. At the end of the day, Gaiman's delivery slows and quiets as Chu answers age-old school-day questions from his parents and goes off to bed. As the story develops, Chu's special talent will become fully clear to young listeners. A.R. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 26, 2014
In his second outing, Chu the sneeze-prone panda is anxious that his classmates won’t like him. At school, the students take turns introducing themselves and what they love to do (“My name is Pablo. I love to climb up things,” says a tamarin). “There was a lot of chalk dust in the air,” writes Gaiman ominously, and Chu soon shows off his singular talent with a sneeze that blows the roof off the school and sends everyone flying (“That’s what I do,” he says). Gaiman and Rex expertly blend humor and tension to delicious narrative effect. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

July 1, 2014

PreS-K-First introduced in Chu's Day (HarperCollins, 2012), the adorable, rotund little panda with the big sneeze here takes on a big milestone: his first day at school. Initially nervous and subdued as he watches his classmates discuss their special talents, Chu soon realizes that he, too, has something unique to share with his new friends and teacher. Once again, Rex's rich, painterly illustrations, characterized by deep, vibrant hues and rendered in oil and mixed media on board, dominate this quirky work. The contrast between the more serious tone of the images and the chaos introduced by Chu's famous sneeze, brought on by a dusty chalkboard, will delight children. Though the topic is familiar-a bad case of nerves before the first day is well-trod territory-and the story itself is on the spare side, readers will enjoy this humorous take on the subject. As with the first book, there's plenty of detail in the artwork, and children will love the appealing animals depicted: eagles, snakes, monkeys, and more. A charming title that is sure to leave kids wanting more-more Chu and more readings of this whimsical tale.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Gaiman continues his sneeze pun in this look at a worried panda cub's first day of school.Chu's expressed school worries are limited to "What will happen?" "Will they be nice?" and "Will they like me?" though the new student's concerns (and his posture and facial expressions) will be familiar to any child facing school for the first time. Chu's new teacher has a "friendly face," and his animal classmates-ranging from a rhino and a giraffe down to a crab, a snake and a snail-all seem nice. The first activity the class does is to sit in a circle and tell their new friends their names and what they love to do best; the teacher writes their names on the chalkboard. (Fans of Chu's Day will see the punch line coming.) Their talents and things they love are wide-ranging-climbing trees, singing, reading books-but none is as unusual as Chu's. After two wordless double-page spreads depicting both the post-sneeze surprise and destruction and subsequent recovery and delight, Chu drolly says, "That's what I do." Rex's oil-and-mixed-media illustrations capture the complex feelings that accompany the first day of school, and Chu is believable when he tells his parents, "I'm not worried anymore."Overlooking (again) the association of Chinese names with a tired joke, this may put a few first-day fears to rest, and it will probably also cause some tension-relieving laughter. (Picture book. 4-7)

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April 15, 2014
Preschool-G Chu (first introduced in Chu's Day, 2013) is a little panda with a big sneeze. When the time comes to go to school, Chu is nervous. The teacher is nice, and the other animals are friendly, but what will they make of his sneeze? As the rest of the class introduces themselves and shares their individual skills and talents, Chu is silentuntil a cloud of chalk dust sets him off. His AAaachooooooooo! blows the roof of the schoolhouse right off. But the class takes the sinus explosion in stride, and Chu relaxes; things are going to be fine. Gaiman keeps Chu's talent a secret, building tension leading up to the sneeze, and when it comes, Rex handles the big moment wordlessly. A pair of almost identical spreads show the tumbled, upside-down classroom, but while the first spread shows the other animals in stunned, post-sneeze silence, the second shows them erupting in enthusiastic support. Children apprehensive about how their own individualities will be met at school will find raucous, joyful comfort.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Chu's first outing became a New York Times best-seller, and his fans (and newcomers) will be lining up for this sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)