Today at School: With Yesterday and Tomorrow

PreS–Young has written a gentle celebration of yesterday, today, and tomorrow for the novice or experienced school-bound child. Sisters Yesterday and Tomorrow, anthropomorphic animals, are the main characters. They share a bedroom, a classroom, and a table in the lunchroom. Their differing attitudes towards the day and school are highlighted through bubbles of text. Tomorrow has a tendency to pull Yesterday along in a hurry-up manner. Yesterday longs for summer, and Tomorrow is looking forward to spring. The sisters exchange hurtful words over lunch. Following the spat, they meet new friend Today who shows them how to enjoy the current day during recess. Kurilla portrays adorable forest animals wearing typical preschool clothing. One school friend is depicted using a wheelchair. The illustrations, especially the recess time in a field of flowers, are delightful and add a touch of whimsy. Text and illustrations work together to convey expectations for classroom happenings and student behavior. In a Bluey-esque way, the tree where Yesterday and Tomorrow live reflects the reality of having children; the house is rarely perfectly clean.