Off to First Grade
Grade 1–3—Mrs. Miller's 23 incoming first graders—plus the principal, bus driver, and the teacher herself—tell readers what they look forward to on the first day of school. The animal characters have snapshots taken, enjoy riding the bus and having new school supplies, can't wait to play sports, and are encouraged by grandparents, parents, and older siblings. Only two youngsters are fearful or worried about what the day will bring. The adults are upbeat and express their hopes for a great new school year. The quirky watercolor cartoons are humorous and expressive, differentiating the characters and adding fun details. The alphabetic sequence of animals calls to mind Joseph Slate'sMiss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten(Dutton, 1996), butOff to First Gradelets the characters offer much more detailed ruminations about their first-day expectations.—Lynne Mattern, Robert Seaman School, Jericho, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.