First Day, Hooray!

PreS-Gr 2–A diverse group of children experience the wide variety of emotions the first day of school can bring. Using rhyming couplets, the author highlights some of the things that children might experience on their first day. Happy, sad, angry, worried, excited, and brave, along with a few other emotions, are briefly described, along with simple ways to respond to them. The stunning, colorful illustrations show children of various backgrounds and ethnicities going through a day of school. Emotions are highlighted in both text and pictures using various colors. Worried is blue, anger is red, curiosity is orange, and so on. The illustrations clearly depict the emotions through facial expressions, as well as through dreamlike colors and images surrounding the child the story is focusing on. Various animals and colors represent each emotion; for example, the child who is mad is surrounded by lightning bolts, exploding color, and a roaring tiger.