The What's Missing Mystery: I Lost Something by Beth Johnson

The kids are just arriving at school, struggling out of their bulky winter jackets and boots. Emily stands in the middle of the group, looking a bit wistful.

"I LOST SOMETHING." SHE SAYS.

Her teacher Mrs. Hill looks concerned. The others do, too. Kendra asks Emily if she lost her hat. But Emily says no.

Victor wonders if she's lost her scarf. Jasmin asks if she's missing a glove. Emily shakes her head to both. Nope.

Her boots? The others giggle at Derek's joke, as they imagine Emily walking in the snow in bare feet!

Well, WHAT? Everyone is mystified. What did she lose?

"I LOST MY TOOTH!"

Emily smiles her new gap-toothed smile, and everyone laughs at her trick.

Missing teeth are both commonplace and yet exciting in first grade, and Emily has a little fun with her classmates before the big reveal, in Beth Johnson's early first-grade reader, I Lost Something, in King Press' The King School Series - First Grade Collection (60 books) (Townsend Press). With a bit of a mystery and a word count of 74, this Level 4 early first-grader primer has a lot to recommend it. It's an all-too-common scenario for primary grade readers, and artist Mark Weber portrays the diverse students in Mrs. Hill's class with a variety of sympathetic expressions, while his illustrations provide visual cues for the words for items of dress included in the text.

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..

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.

Learning the Letters: S Is For School: A Classroom Alphabet by Greg Paprocki

B is for BACKPACK.

Thrilled or not, it's time for youngsters to grab those new backpacks, sharpen their PENCILS, count their CRAYONS, look inside their LUNCHBOXES for JUICE BOXES, and perhaps don their UNIFORMS. It's time for SCHOOL to start.

Kids will have to listen to LESSONS, and there will be ZEROS and perhaps some Xs in their MATH HOMEWORK, for sure.

But, on the bright side, there will be FRIENDS to find and GAMES to play at KINDERGARTEN and new experiences all through the SCHOOL.

Author-illustrator Greg Paprocki hits some of the high points in the alphabet in his new S Is for School: A Classroom Alphabet (BabyLit) (Gibbs-Smith, 2018). Paprocki, whose credits include illustrations for Curious George books, does this one up in charming and trendy retro 1950s-cartoon art style, with jolly moppets in mid-century-type buildings and kitschy classrooms reminiscent of Little Golden Book illustrations, and this alphabet book is a cozy and comforting choice for new scholars.

Paprocki is also the author-illustrator of a wide variety of alphabet books such as B Is for Boo: A Halloween Alphabet (BabyLit) and C Is for Castle: A Medieval Alphabet and S Is for Sabertooth: A Stone Age Alphabet.

Pet Ban! No Frogs in School by A. LaFaye

Bartholomew Botts loved pets.

Bart's room at home is a messy menagerie melee! He has dogs, several species of poultry, a caged canary, a tortoise in his drawer, a cat curled up in a fishbowl, and a fish in an aquarium. He's even got barnyard denizens, two goats, a pig, chicks, and a bunny, and a green snake lives in his bedside table.

So it's no surprise that when he starts to school, he takes a pet along to his classroom.

Bartholomew plopped Ferdinand the frog in his cool pink lunchbox.

But that day, while their teacher is showing his class how to mix secondary colors in art, Ferdinand hops into Lacey's paints and lands with a splat on Mr. Patanoose's head. Face-painting is not in his lesson plan--and Mr. Patanoose proclaims a new school rule.

"No frogs in school!" he declares.

Still, Bartholomew has other pets to take to school with him that are NOT frogs. But on Tuesday Sigfried the salamander goes woo-woo on the teacher's shoe, and he rules out all amphibians at school. On Wednesday Bartholomew brings Horace the hamster, definitely a mammal, along, but his speedy scurrying turns Mr. Patanoose's class into mess of squealing, chasing kids. Rodents are banned for Bart, but he still has Sylvia the snake to take along on Thursday, and when she slithers up toward the ceiling, the group goes wild!

Mr. Patanoose doesn't look happy.

"No more of YOUR pets!" he declares.

Not since Mary brought her little lamb to school has a classroom had so much fun with pets, and the literal-minded Bartholomew finds a way to liven up show-and-tell day with a pet for the whole classroom, in A. LaFaye's No Frogs in School (Sterling Books, 2018). It's a fun first week of school, with the author deftly working in a bit of biological vocabulary, while artist Eglantine Coulemans' illustrations visually extend the text and outdo the cuteness quotient in her comic line drawings of the lanky Mr. Patanoose, his vivacious and varied preschoolers, and charming critters mixing it up. Kirkus Reviews adds, "Each page lends itself to an energetic seek-and-find storytime that promises new discoveries upon multiple reads."

School Days: Fairy's First Day of School by Bridget Heos

Mom's got an early morning surprise for little Fairy.

"You'll be starting school soon, Fairy.

You're probably wondering what to expect."

Mom pours each of them some herbal tea from her acorn teapot and sits down to brief her little fairy on what to expect from her first day of school.

"You'll put on your backpack and fly to school, either with your family or on the schoolbird."

The schoolbird sounds a lot like Mother Goose, which promises to be a fun way to flit to school. Little Fairy's mother tells her that a very kind teacher will greet her with a shower of fairy dust, have hang her backpack with the others on a dandelion leaf, and come along to meet the others in her class.

"Flutter your wings to say hello," she says.

Her teacher will sit the class down in a crisscross berry sauce circle and reminds them to raise their wands if they have a question. There will be center time for learning about magic spells and classifying collected baby teeth for the tooth fairy, and they will take turns being the door holder, the line leader, and the pet helper. At lunch, politely take a seat on your toadstool, Teacher will tell them. And after rest time in the napping tree, there is story time--with everyone's favorite fairy tales.

There are so many fun things to do that before you know it, Little Fairy, it will be time to pack up for home, Mom assures her, in Bridget Heos' forthcoming Fairy's First Day of School (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018). With the help of artist Sara Not's blackline drawings, done in bright pastel palette suitable for a fairy tale version of the preschool/primary day, author Heos captures the special magic of the first day of school, with promises of new friends and happy schooldays to come and something wondrous to tell Mom and Dad:

"Once upon a time, I had my first day of school!"

The Three Rs! Llama Llama Loves to Read by Reed Duncan and Anna Dewdney

Friends at school--there's nothing better.
Llama learns all the letters!

No two letters are the same.
But every letter has a name.

Llama Llama proudly says the alphabet. He can recognize each letter. But Teacher says that not ALL.

What?

It turns out that the letters don't do much by themselves. They stand for sounds. Letters are like the pieces of a puzzle. Each letter has a sound that can be heard. Put them together and...

Letters together make a word!

Some words are short and easy. B + E makes "BE." Llama Llama gets it! He can read!

But wait! Some words are long, and the letters don't follow the rule. What the use of all this school?

Llama's hooves wave in the air.
Some words are hard. It isn't fair!

But Llama's teacher points out that he has to be patient. Sound out the letters slowly and listen for what you hear, she says. What word makes sense in the sentence? Try to remember it; you'll see it again. And soon that word will be an old friend.

Llama Llama and his old friends Nellie Gnu and Billy Goat work hard together all the way through the lesson. Soon there are more words they can read. Way to G + O, guys!

Words make rhythm. Words make rhyme.
Words make books for story time.

And Llama Llama can't wait to get home to read for Mama Llama, in Reed Duncan's Llama Llama Loves to Read (Viking Books, 2018).  He's definitely on his way. Working with the late Anna Dewdney's ideas for this book, Duncan captures much of the appeal of Dewdney's clever couplets, and illustrator JT Morrow reproduces the warm style of Dewdney's loving lines and coloration in a story in which youngsters will rejoice with Llama Llama as he himself becomes a reader!

Pair this one with Tedd Arnold's classic Theodor Geisel Award-winning series of beginning readers which began with Hi! Fly Guy (See reviews here.)

Back to School: Bear's Big Day by Salina Yoon

IT WAS BEAR'S BIG DAY.

"I CAN CUT MY PANCAKES ALL BY MYSELF," SAID BEAR. "I'M A BIG BEAR NOW."

Bear is getting ready for his first day of school and feeling very grown up, as he packs his school bag, a brand-new brown one with a bear's face on the flap pocket, with supplies--crayons, glue, and his own lunch box--each in its own proper place.

He looks at his plushie pal, Floppy, waiting quietly on his bureau.

Bear is a big bear now, so he places Floppy by the window to watch for him when he returns.

"YOU NEED TO STAY HOME," HE SAYS. "BIG BEARS GO TO SCHOOL."

But at school Bear doesn't feel so big. Something seems to be missing. His teacher, Miss Fox, is welcoming. His classmates, Panda, Sheep, and Deer, are nice, but Bear notices that some of them have brought their own fluffy friends with them for the day, which only makes Bear miss Floppy more. He can't get into crafts or snack time, and is the only one who can't even close his eyes during rest time. Somehow he thought school was going to be more fun that it is so far.

But Miss Fox notices something is amiss with Bear, and she guesses he is feeling especially alone.

"BEING BIG DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF," SHE SAYS.

Miss Fox gets some art supplies together and soon she has Bear working on a special surprise to take home for Floppy, and Bear's sad feelings go away.

It's a big day for Bear after all, in Salina Yoon's third story about Bear and Floppy, Bear's Big Day (Bloomsbury Press, 2016). Yoon's empathetic storytelling will draw young readers, all too aware that their big day is upcoming, into her story from the beginning, and her trademark illustrations, solid, flat figures delineated by thick black lines, give a certain weight to her story about a weighty matter, being big enough for the first day of school. Bear's backward look at Floppy in his window as he heads off to the bus speaks volumes about this big transition in the life of a child, and kids will be happy to see Bear heading off for his second day of school with Floppy on board.

Other acclaimed books in this series are Found and Stormy Night both dealing sensitively with anxiety-producing preschool situations. Salina Yoon is also the author-illustrator of the best-selling Penguin books, such as Penguin on Vacation. (see reviews here).

Tall Tail Tale? Tall Tale Tail?: A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened To Anya on Her First Day of School) by Mike Boldt

ANYA WOKE ONE DAY..

ONLY TO DISCOVER

THAT OVERNIGHT SHE HAD GROWN...

NOT A PIGTAIL OR A PONY TAIL...

A TIGER TAIL.

A long, striped, orange-and-black tail poses several problems. For one, wearing new jeans or fancy tights are sorta out.

Not to mention how she's going to have to explain her tail to her new class and teacher.

Mom and Dad are no help.

"IT BRINGS OUT YOUR FUN WILD SIDE," MOM SAID.

"I FELT THE SAME WAY WHEN I GOT GLASSES. YOU'RE STILL THE SAME WONDERFUL ANYA!" SAID DAD.

Anya tries to come up with outfits to conceal the tail, but they all come up, well, short. She even tries disguising the tail by wearing all the clothes in her closet. They hide the tail, but she realizes she'll never be able to go to the potty. either. She tries to pretend to be too sick to go to school, but Mom perkily pushes her along with a reminder that she doesn't want to miss the bus. But just then the bus roars past and down the street. But Dad has a Plan B:

"I GET TO DRIVE YOU TO SCHOOL ON YOUR FIRST DAY!" SAYS DAD CHEERILY.

Anya settles sadly in the back seat, sitting on her tail, and concludes that she has only one choice to avoid an embarrassing disaster of a first day. She's going to have to run away to join the circus.

It's a particularly wacky way to start the school year in Mike Boldt's brand-new tall tale, A Tiger Tail: (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) (Simon and Schuster, 2016). Author Mike Boldt pokes gentle fun at the unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions or bad-hair days that are the usual stuff of first-day-disaster tales with the story of a girl who has a real, albeit fantastical, personal problem to deal with on the big day, with the wry pitch that Anya's not the only one who's a little, er, unconventional in her new class.

Boldt's inventive and bright artwork keeps the treatment of personal differences light by making them more than a bit far-fetched, while portraying poor Anya's all-too-real wardrobe dilemmas with wry but empathetic humor. And his closing page features a first-day photo of Anya's class that drives home the premise that we're all a little different in our own one-of-a-kind ways. Of this different look at first-day-jitters, Publishers Weekly says, "Boldt has a fine idea and the pictures to match: his digitally rendered images have a painterly, acrylic texture and sculptural exaggeration that dovetail well with the humorously over-the-top situation."

Beary Contrary! Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

IT WAS BEAR'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. MAMA GAVE BEAR AN EXTRA HUG AND AN EXTRA KISS.

"HAVE FUN, BEAR. ALL THE BEARS LOVE SCHOOL!"

"NOT THIS BEAR," SAID BEAR.

Bear is not filled with the power of positive thinking. He is sure he'd have more fun at home with Mama.

His perky teacher sees him looking at the art easels and suggests that he hang his jacket in his cubby and try some painting.

"PUT ON A SMOCK LIKE THE OTHER BEARS," SAID MRS. BROWN.

"NOT THIS BEAR!" SAID BEAR.

Bear insists on holding on to his jacket while he paints, and soon it is time for story circle. Mrs. Brown suggests that all the bears like to choose a mat to sit upon. Bear is NOT one of those bears. He prefers a lap for listening to stories. But there is no lap available, so Bear picks a plush toy instead and lets the furry bunny sit on his lap as Mrs. Brown reads a very good story.

At snack time, Bear is NOT one of those bears who like school snacks. But he does like to pass out the napkins. Then it's playtime outside.

"ALL THE BEARS LOVE TO SWING AND SLIDE," SAID MRS. BROWN.

"NOT THIS BEAR," SAID BEAR.

"NOT THIS BEAR EITHER!" SAID ANOTHER BEAR.

But before Mrs. Brown can get too fussed over her very contrary little bear boys, they are busy drawing with sidewalk chalk and careening around and around on the trikes.

It's a good first day of school with a compatible friend, in Alyssa Satin Capucilli's Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story (Henry Holt and Company, 2015), especially with charming illustrations by Lorna Hussey, who catches our contrary bear's first-day fears about school in his telling body language. Lots of little "bears" share contrariness on the first day of school, and this book offers a bit of vicarious experience at being a rookie scholar.

Wreckin' Reptile: Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton

For adults in the room, who hasn't been frustrated with the toddler who takes more joy in knocking down the block structure than building it up? No matter how neat the ramp or how clever the bridge or how tall the tower, as soon as it's done....CRASH! Down it comes.

Rex is that guy.

The little T. Rex's friends Gizmo, a thoughtful little robot, Sprinkles, a sweet, unicorn-horned bunny, and Wild, a horned and fanged little monster, are past that stage.

GIZMO'S OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ROCKET?

REX WRECKS IT!

RAWR!!

Ditto for Sprinkle's magical floating heart and Wild's wooden wonder of the world. RAWR! and RAWR!

REX WRECKS EVERYTHING!

The three put their heads together. Gizmo's calculator grinds its gears as he blueprints his grand design on the chalkboard. The others get into the act. They pull together all the blocks they have, determined to build a design so strong that not even Rex can wreck it!

IT'S AWESOMERIFIC!

But not for long.

With his strongest RAWR, Rex roars and down it comes. Satisfied, Rex chomps a cracker, proud of his prowess. The three builders are aghast! How could he?

But Rex notices that his friends are not cheering his mighty deed. Suddenly he gets it. In a tiny voice, he says his own version of "sorry."

"RAWRY."

But Gizmo has a brainstorm and the three friends figure out a way to get Rex to let them actually finish building something. They let him help!

It's the biggest, tallest, fanciest block building ever. The four share a moment of happy pride! But then...

THERE'S JUST ONE MORE THING...TO MAKE IT EVEN BETTER....

All four of the friends give in to the temptation in Ben Clanton's Rex Wrecks It! (Candlewick Press, 2014).  Who could resist? And, after all, now they get to build it AGAIN. Clanton's engaging and expressive pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations fill the pages with energy, as Rex's more serious companions respond to his rambunctious but infectious exuberance which finally draws them into the fun. "All told, a fine little fable," says Kirkus Reviews, and one that pairs well with Bob Shea's plays-well-with-others story, Dinosaur vs. School (A Dinosaur vs. Book) (Hyperion Books, 2014). (See review here.)

Can't Catch Me? Catch That Cookie! by Hallie Durand

IT WAS DECEMBER AND MARSHALL'S CLASS HAD HEARD STORIES ABOUT RUNAWAY GINGERBREAD MEN ALL WEEK LONG.

MARSHALL DIDN'T BELIEVE A WORD OF IT.

Marshall is one of those kids for whom the literary conceit of "a willing suspension of disbelief" is not an option.

Still, he buys into the idea of eating tasty gingerbread men, so he pitches in to mix the molasses into the stiff dough, wielding a mean mixing spoon. His teacher, Mrs. Gray, shows the class how to roll the dough out and use the cookie cutters to cut out the little guys, and then she lets each student design his own. Marshall gives his cookie a martial belt with silver balls, and since he really likes them, he give his man six raisin eyes. Finally, the gingerbread men go onto the cookie sheets and into the oven.

But when the class comes back and opens the oven...

THERE WAS NOTHING INSIDE!

"THEY RAN AWAY!" EVERYBODY YELLED!

MARSHALL DIDN'T BUY IT. "THEY CAN'T RUN!" HE REMARKS.

Marshall is skeptical, but he goes along with the group and they find a note pinned to a door. Mrs. Gray seems just a little too excited as she reads the rhyming clue to the class. "Candy" leads them to "sandy," which their sand table definitely is, where they find another clue, and then another as they make their way down the hall toward the gym. On the way Marshall spots a clue of his own--an oven-crispy raisin.

Now Marshal begins to doubt his own doubt.

And then the clues lead them to the gymnasium, where Marshall discovers indisputable proof, a silver dragee from his gingerbread man's belt. And in the middle of the floor, there are tiny tracks, like those a gingerbread man might make, if a gingerbread man could make tracks!

Okay. Marshall decides just to get his head inside the game. If gingerbread men could get tired of running away, what would they do next?

"THOSE GUYS PLAYED HARD," MARSHALL THOUGHT.

"THEY'RE TAKING A NAP!"

And if they did, Marshall knows exactly where to find them, in Hallie Durand's brand-new Catch That Cookie! (Dial Press, 2014). Given that tracking down those runaway gingerbread men is a popular ploy for taking preschool kids on a tour of their new school, Durand's book is likely to get around schools as fast as her cookie dudes do. Caldecott-winning artist David Small provides the quirky details of the chase, with his dubious, red-headed and stubborn Marshall finally playing along with the pursuit for the fun of it--that is, until the cookies are discovered and come to their, ahem, usual conclusion, true to their folk tale tradition:

Now, what does the fox say? Oh, yeah!

Snip! Snap! Snout!
My tale's told out.

School Kitty: Little Lola by Julie Saab

THIS IS LOLA. SHE WOKE UP EXTRA EARLY TODAY.

THAT WAS LUCKY, BECAUSE SHE HAD BIG PLANS TO DO!

Kitty Lola is awakened by a falling apple. And at the top of her TO DO FOR TODAY list, Little Lola has checked the box that says HAVE ADVENTURE.

What kind of adventure does that apple suggest?

Right! Lola decides to go to school.

Following the crowd of kids, Lola climbs aboard the big yellow bus. The kids are thrilled.

"HOORAY! LOLA IS GOING TO SCHOOL!"

Little Lola loves the classroom. Everything is shiny and neat, with a place for everything.

THERE WAS EVEN A PLACE FOR A CURIOUS LITTLE CAT.

And surprisingly, clever Lola has plenty of scholastic aptitude. She prints her name neatly and does some addition problems. Then, in a bit of hands-on math, she subtracts the proper number of cheesy Goldfish crackers from the snack tray! Yummy math!

There is a tiny bit of a problem at show-and-tell time, when Lola, improvising a quick surprise, comes up with a mouse, dangling from her paw by its tail!

4"UH OH! LOLA!

There's a bit of commotion when Lola, recognizing her faux pas (or is it faux paws?), releases the mouse, resulting in a chase that disorders the decorous arrangement of the classroom for a moment. But Little Lola pitches in to put things back in order, surreptitiously slipping the mouse into the teacher's desk drawer to keep it out of sight while she shows off her one-cat-band musical ability.

Not since Mary's little lamb came to school has there been a more merrymaking classroom visitor, in Julie Saab's Little Lola (Greenwillow Books, 2014).  Lola the cat makes a charming little schoolgirl in artist David Gothard's watercolor illustrations, and having a kitty in your class makes going off to school seem like child's play for sure, in this pleasant little fantasy. Gothard fills his pages with plenty of sly visual humor, poking good-natured fun at the idea of a stylish schoolgirl cat, leaving kids snickering at what they imagine happening off-page when, after school, Teacher discovers that mouse in her drawer. Publishers Weekly even assigns this one a starred review, saying, "Gothard’s watercolors have a retro, Richard Scarry simplicity and showcase Lola’s personality at every turn. An entertaining and promising debut for both Lola and her creators."

Fitting In: RAWR! by Todd H. Doodler

BEING A DINOSAUR IS HARD.

The first day of school is not working out. T.R. (for T. Rex) knows he's in trouble when he discovers that he's bigger than the school bus. He's bigger than the teacher. He's bigger than his desk, and it goes without saying that he's bigger than the other kids.

And his friendly way of saying hello, RAWR,  doesn't go over too well either.

Even though T.R. is on his best behavior, being helpful assisting the crossing guards in front of the school and tiptoeing around the classroom aquarium, his classmates remain skittish. He uses his best table manners, tipping the table in the cafeteria carefully so that his lunch slides deftly into his toothy mouth.

"BURP!"

T. R. even remembers to say "Excuse me," for that lapse,  but for some reason, nobody wants to sit with him at lunch.

But at recess, he finally gets a break when the ball gets stuck on the roof. It's not even a stretch for T.R. to retrieve it. And when the kids discover that sliding down his tail is lots of fun, it looks like T.R. has got this school thing working for him at last.

Todd H. Doodler, famous for his glorious giggle starters, the Bear in Underwear books, breaks out a new character in his latest, Rawr! (Scholastic, 2013), complete with a touchably poofy fabric relief likeness of his hero on the cover. Bringing  a lighthearted look at fitting in at school as a premise, Doodler's simple comic illustrations and story line have something of the minimalist charm of Norman Bridwell's early childhood classics, Clifford The Big Red Dog and its many sequels, and T. Rex's lusty "RAWR!" may prove a popular greeting among the story circle set.

Friends Forever? Charlie and Lola: My Best Best Friend by Lauren Child

LOLA AND LOTTA ARE BEST BEST FRIENDS.

THEY SHARE EVERYTHING.

LOTTA SAYS, "I DO NOT LIKE MY ORANGE TODAY. IT IS TOO ORANGE."

LOLA SAYS, "I DO NOT LIKE MY BANANA TODAY. IT IS TOO BANANA.

LET'S SWAP!"

A best best friend is one that will swap part of her lunch for yours, even though your reason is, well, tenuous to say the least. Lola and Lottie are that kind of friends. They watch the tadpole pond for changes every day. They take turns on the swings and hang their coats side by side in the coatroom.

But then a new girl, Evie, turns up at school. Lotta seems to be taken with Evie's NEW-ness. She shows her around the classroom. She tells her all about the tadpole pond. She points out a coathook for Evie right beside her own. She invites Evie to join her modelling clay house to her own. "You can come and visit..."she tells Lola.

Suddenly Lola is the odd girl out and she is downhearted.

"I DON'T THINK LOTTA LIKES ME ANYMORE," SHE TELLS HER BROTHER CHARLIE

"PERHAPS SHE WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND TOMORROW."

Charlie is older and wiser in the ways of friendship, but he's not content to let nature take its course. Perhaps he can find a way to get his little sister and her best friend back on track during recess the next day, and with his own best buddies at hand, Charlie knows just what to do to get Lotta's attention.

Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola: My Best, Best Friend (Charlie & Lola) (Penguin, 2011), done-up in a brand-new paperback easy-to-read edition, breaks no new ground in the area of girl world friendships, but it does put the ebb and flow of relationships into proportion in this easy-going spin-off for fans of the popular Playhouse Disney series.

First-Day Fright: I Don't Want to Go to School by Stephanie Blake

There was once a mischievous little rabbit named Simon.

With a big smile, his mother told him, "Tomorrow is your first day of school, my dear."

Simon answered, "No way!"

It's that I've-got-the-pre-school-jitters-don't-wanna-go-there blues" time again, a time when some kids can't wait but other kids can't sleep for worrying. Simon the Super Rabbit is a cautious bunny, and although he lies awake trying to convince himself that he is NOT afraid of the first day of school, it takes a special hug, a loving tuck-in, and some extra reassuring words to help him sleep the night before the first day of school. Dad points out that he'll learn the alphabet and make new friends. Mom reminds him that he is a brave little rabbit, her Super Rabbit, but Simon has only one thing to say:

"NO WAY!"

The first thing Simon does at school is to cry. But once in the swing of it, things begin to look up. There are chocolate mousse for dessert in the cafeteria, lots of drawing materials at his desk, games to play at recess, drums to play at music time, and a girl rabbit with daisies on her ears to play with him all day long.

And when Mom shows up at the end of the day to tell Simon it's time to go home, he has a well-rehearsed line all ready for her:

"NO WAY!!!"

Great for parents and new teachers to read aloud to reluctant scholars, Stephanie Blake's brand-new I Don't Want to Go To School! (Random, 2009) introduces an appealing little rabbit who expresses the feelings of many children as they approach that scary first day in a new school.

100 Days Plan: The Night Before the 100th Day of School by Natasha Wing

There's a very important special observation going on in schools around the country. No, it's not Lincoln's Birthday, or Valentine's Day, or even Groundhog Day. It's the 100th day of school, and if you know a kid in Kindergarten or first grade, this day is more important that the president's first 100 days or a day off courtesy of George and Abe. It's an all-day celebration of the progress that has been made in the first half of the school year--The 100th Day of School!

Natasha Wing's The Night Before the 100th Day of School (Reading Railroad), like its story-book siblings set to Clement C. Moore's familiar verse form, is a great way to honor this big day.

'Twas the night before the 100th day
When I started to worry.
What'll I bring to school?
I'll need something in a hurry!

The 100th day of school means every student has to produce a project using 100 of something--and our procrastinating primary grade student can't decide what to feature in his display: 100 socks? 100 photos of the new puppy? 100 pencils? 100 toy cars? Everything easy has already been taken by one classmate or the other, and a quick count of his toys leaves our way boy short even on dinosaur action figures. A raid on the piggy bank reveals far less than 100 of any type of coin. He's desperate for something numerous and cheap for his project!

When what to my wondering
Eye should I see?
No one else will bring ants!
No one but me!

That night while I nestled
All snug in my bed,
Visions of ants, ants, and more ants
Danced in my head!

Clutching his ant farm with 100 six-legged workers, our boy rushes into his classroom, happy to spy the huge cake occupying the largest table, with Happy 100th Day of School spelled out in delicious-looking frosting.

But in his haste to bring his project to the attention of the whole class, there's a bit of a trip and slip on a runaway marble from Mabel's 100, and the ants spill all over the floor. Of course, the little buggers head for the fragrant cake. It looks like the ants will get the cake before the students do. But not to worry! In less than 100 seconds, our lad has a plan.

I headed them off with crumbs from my lunch.
"Go back to the farm!" I told the whole bunch.

The kids get plenty of counting practice rounding up the ants one by one, and everyone, even the twins Dan and Stan, have a new appreciation of the concept of counting to 100. The big day is saved and so is the big cake, that is, until all the projects have had their turn in front of the class. Then the class gets to see how many square slices they can get from a huge rectangular cake!

The Night Before the 100th Day of School (Reading Railroad), is a story you can count on to honor this milestone of the school year.

School Days: Brand-New Pencils, Brand-New Books by Diane deGroat

It's the night before the first day of first grade, and conscientious Gilbert is anxiously checking his backpack to make sure he's ready, all the while reassuring little sister Lola that preschool with Mrs. Duck is going to be a lot of fun. But thinking about it on the way to school with his friend Patti, his first day begins to look pretty scary. What if their teacher Mrs. Byrd in not nice like Mrs. Duck? What if she sends them to the principal, who definitely looks mean? Patti doesn't share his worries. She's too busy chatting and laughing with a strange girl named Margaret.

In the morning circle, one student named Philip waves a big thick book and brags, "I know how to read!" Gilbert squirms as he realizes he can't read a big fat book like that. Gilbert's heart begins to sink as he notices that Patti is the only one in the class he knows. Figuring he'd better stick with her, he plops down in the desk beside her and Margaret, only to be accosted by a really big kid.

"Can't you read?" He pointed to the name taped to the front of the desk.

"It says L-E-W-I-S! That spells LEWIS!"

Nervously Gilbert looks around until he spots a desk with the sign G-I-L-B-E-R-T. Unfortunately, there's a kid already sitting there. Gilbert hesitantly points to the sign, and the kid hurriedly moves to the seat which says F-R-A-N-K, just in time for Mrs. Byrd to pass out thick reading and spelling books and write a lot of rules on the board. First grade looks likes it's going to be hard and lonely.

At lunch in the strange cafeteria, Gilbert sees that Patti is already paired with the ever-present Margaret again and sadly takes a seat all alone. Just as he's opening his lunchbox, Mrs. Byrd brings another nervous-looking student by.

"Oh, here's a seat," she said to the boy named Frank.

Frank sat down right next to Gilbert, and Gilbert saw that he had the exact same Martian Space Pilot lunchbox.

Things begin to look up from that point on, as Gilbert gets to know his fellow students and realizes that all of the new first graders have their strengths and weaknesses. Philip may be a great reader, but Gilbert realizes that he's a better climber. By the end of the day, Gilbert has gotten to know Lewis and Frank, and Philip has helped him read two new books in the library corner.

"I made a new friend," says Gilbert to Patti's mom, "and so did Patti."

"No, I didn't," said Patti. "Margaret is my friend from dance class. She's an old friend, just like you are, Gilbert." Gilbert breathes a sigh of relief. He has a new friend and an old friend. Maybe first grade is going to be all right.

Diane Degroat's Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books a prequel to the popular "Gilbert and Friends" series, provides a bit of the backstory of the familiar classmates who feature in such holiday staples as Happy Birthday to You, You Belong in a Zoo (Gilbert and Friends) and Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink.