Guess Who's Getting Spiffy? Clothesline Clues to the First Day of School by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook

High on the clothesline
hang clue after clue,

It's the first day of school...

Who's waiting there for you? Listen to the cues!

From whose clothesline would a yellow vest and gloves and octagonal STOP sign be hanging?
This one's not so hard. It's the Crossing Guard!

How about someone with ...

Mop, soap, and a big key ring? Who takes care of everything?... the custodian!

Whose clothesline has a fresh apron and an oven mitt? All you need is one look... it's the cafeteria cook!

You can guess this one with ease! On the line, in the breeze, are shorts, tee shirt, socks and sneakers. Waiting with a basketballs and a big shiny floor? Guess no more... it's the the gym teacher!

Smocks and aprons? Easel and color chart? You're smart. It's got to be... the teacher of art!

And on many clotheslines... there are clues.

Pants, shirts, and dresses,
In every size and hue,
Coats, scarves, and backpacks...

Who's getting spiffied up for school along with you?

It's your new teacher and classmates, in Kathryn Heling's and Deborah Hembrook's Clothesline Clues to the First Day of School (Charlesbridge, 2019). Clothes may not make the man, but this engaging first-day-of school picture book helps youngsters recognize all the very real people who make a building a school. Young readers will have fun identifying the various school workers, right down to their own teacher's blue bow tie from the clothesline clues, illustrated cheerily by artist Andy Robert Davies.

It still takes a village. A school does need a community to do its job and with bouncy rhyming text and comforting images for young people facing the beginning of school, this one is a great read-aloud for parents and teachers to ease the first-day transition to a school full of people. Says School Library Journal, "Whether readers are entering school for the first time or are old pros, all will enjoy the guessing game and overall message of this lovely story."

Other books by this team are Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do and Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play..