Nina Nandu's Nervous Noggin

August 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-Nina Nandu is very nervous because she has to go to a new school. She's afraid that everyone will make fun of her and think that she's an ostrich or an emu instead of a nandu. Her grandmother helps her feel better and gets her to school on time. All the animals in Alpha Betty's class welcome Nina and think that nandus are cool. Nina plays all day, makes friends, and decides that school is fun after all. This is a comforting story with as many words with the "n" sound as possible. The author, Barbara de Rubertis, narrates slowly and clearly. Young children working on phonemic awareness may enjoy this simple story and relate to Nina's nervousness as she begins at a new school.-Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary, Edmonds, WA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.