Kindergarten is Cool!

May 9, 2016
Marshall (Talia and the Very Yum Kippur) offers nervous kindergartners-to-be a breezy rundown of a typical day, writing in clipped rhyming couplets (“As you enter the door/ You see blocks on the floor/ Science stuff to explore,/ Spots for ‘Dress Up’ and ‘Store’ ”). Chatterton’s (There’s a Bison Bouncing on the Bed) digital graphics echo the upbeat mood of Marshall’s verse as he pictures a multicultural group of children singing during music time, skipping rope on the playground, eating lunch, and making friends with each other. The classroom guinea pig gets in on the fun, too, spending little time inside its cage—one of several Easter eggs tucked in to the scenes for eagle-eyed kids to point out. Some of the rhymes are slightly awkward, but generally it’s an encouraging vision of the opportunities kindergarten has to offer. Ages 4–6. Author’s agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. Illustrator’s agency: Bright Agency.

June 1, 2016
Rhyming verses show those new to school just how cool kindergarten will be."When you wake up for school / You'll get dressed really cool. / With your sneakers and socks / And your lunch in a box... / Kindergarten's begun. / Big kids say that it's fun. / But is that really true? / Will it be fun...for you?" Both sequencing and the assured second-person address experience some bumps. Though the verses do talk about getting a ride (in a car driven by mom in the illustration), walking (with dad and a dog), or taking the bus, they begin by saying that "you wave bye to home. / Then you're off--on your own!" Similarly, not every child will be sporting sneakers with socks on the first day or packing lunchboxes. But the generic kindergarten classroom is spot-on, with blocks and places to hang stuff, things to explore, and pretend play props. And certainly almost every kindergartener will be singing the ABCs, counting, hearing stories read aloud, playing outside at recess (if the weather's nice), and making new friends. And the verdict at the end of the day? "It really is cool!" Chatterton's seemingly digital illustrations portray a diverse group of kids, including one wearing glasses, though this class is very small--only seven kids.A rollicking reassurance that school will be fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

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August 1, 2016

PreS-K-Books to get kids ready for kindergarten are always welcome, and this title will help fill the need. With rhyming text that flows well, Marshall introduces readers to all aspects of the school day. "Go by bus, car, or walk.../On the way, there is talk/About new friends and school-/Teachers, pencils, books, rules." Throughout the day, all the kids look happy. The brightly colored illustrations clearly represent the text while still feeling childlike and fun. The standard topics are covered: playtime, storytime, recess, and lunch, as well as a few pages devoted to making new friends. VERDICT A very good choice for those starting kindergarten, but it doesn't extend beyond that audience.-Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Fort Thomas, KY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016
Preschool-K Rhyming text and bright, cartoony artwork outlines what kids can expect now that they are no longer two, three, or four . . . / but a big kid, for sure! A small, diverse class of brand-new kindergartners explores the varied wonders of building with blocks, playing dress-up, gathering for storytime, and playing on the slide at recess. Pets and other animals observe their progress as they say good-bye to mom and dad and then model good ways to get to know new people on the first day of school: high fives are involved, as are drawing pictures and simply saying Hi. Clunky rhymes in an unusual meter may interfere with readability, but this book will nevertheless be a good introduction for kids who are preparing to enter kindergarten, especially children who will be attending a kindergarten with a play-based curriculum such as the one depicted here. Another plus: Marshall avoids a common pitfall of books about school anxieties and introduces no new fears. A great match for Antoinette Portis' Kindergarten Diary (2010).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)