"It's a really big day for Frederick Douglass Elementary School. It's it very first day of school! It's also the very first day of school for a small girl with freckles. Both are apprehensive, nervous, embarrassed, and a little bit shy, but slowly they learn how the whole "school thing" works and each have a great first day. From discovering what the jungle gym is for, to a fire drill, the school excitedly reports the day's events to Janitor, just as a child would tell their parent. Both the school and the girl like school by the end of the day with the promise of many more good days to come. The text by Adam Rex has some sweet and mild humor, and the art by Caldecott Honor artist Christian Robinson is particularly child-friendly - full of bold shapes, colors, diverse students, and classroom details familiar to kids. A cute twist on the first-day-of-school story."
— Ellen A New York Times bestselling author (The True Meaning of Smekday) and illustrator (Last Stop on Market Street) team bring you a fresh look at the first day of school, this time from the school's perspective.
It's the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself. What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him?
The school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, he soon recovers when he sees that he's not the only one going through first-day jitters.
Recipient of 7 starred reviews!
"Robinson (Last Stop on Market Street) gives the school just a hint of visual personification in his flattened, paint-and-collage artwork, as Rex (Moonday) deftly juggles well-placed jokes and keen insights into feeling comfortable in one’s own skin—or bricks, as the case may be."—Publishers Weekly, starred
"Using his signature, simple style, Robinson alternates scenes of the building and its interiors with shots that show the boisterously diverse kids' first day.A unique point of view makes this school book stand out."—Kirkus Reviews, starred
"Sure to become a staple for first days of school everywhere."—Horn Book, starred
"This charming reversal of first-day-of-school nerves will delight little ones
and help put their own anxieties at bay."—Booklist, starred
"An essential purchase that is simultaneously funny, frank, and soothing. A perfect first day read-aloud."— School Library Journal, starred
"A delightful, perspective-tweaking back-to-school picture book."—Shelf Awareness, starred
"Anthropomorphization of the whole building is a new and promising approach for school-shy youngsters, and it’ll make the already school-positive want to give their beloved building a hug."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred