Tummy Jitters: Butterflies on the First Day of School by Annie Silvestro

A month before school, Rosie picked out her first backpack.

She loved it with all her heart.

But the night before school starts, Rosie is almost sleepless. She can't eat the special chocolate chip pancakes her mom makes for her first-day breakfast.

"I don't feel well," she said.

"You just have butterflies in your belly," said her mother.

Who doesn't love butterflies? But not in your tummy, making it feel all floaty and tingly.

But then a girl named Violet sits down beside her on the bus and they discover they have the same teacher, and when Rosie opens her mouth to tell Violet her name, she sees a butterfly fly out. Violet doesn't seem to notice.

Still, there are some butterflies in her tummy and Rosie feels queasy when her teacher asks her to tell the other kids something about herself, but when she volunteers that she has a baby sister, she sees three more butterflies float away. No one else can see them, she supposes.

The day goes well, with painting and playground races, and when Rosie spots another girl standing alone, she goes over ask her name, and something surprising happens.

When Isabella tells Rosie her name, a whole bunch of butterflies fly up with her answer.

And when Rosie dashes down from the bus to tell her mother about what she did with her friends on the first day of school... her mom seems relieved.

"I can't wait to hear all about it," she smiled.

The words floated out on butterflies' wings!

Who knew parents have butterflies on the first day of school? Apparently author Annie Silvestro does, in her just published Butterflies on the First Day of School (Sterling Children's Books, 2019). First-day jitters affect everyone--students, parents, and teachers--on that important day, and Silvestro's insightful story, presented with the aid of artist Dream Chen's endearing butterfly prints and warm, appealing illustrations, will help reassure school newbies that butterfly flutters in the tummy are a universal experience.