This book was about the excitment of starting the first grade and all the fun thing they do. I think this book is good because it helps children explore their imaginations. I think children in Kindersgarten or first grade would really enjoy this book it is relatable. Children can feed off the excitement of the kids in the book. ( )

In my opinion, I did not like this book at all. The thought of it being a book for entering first grade is an extremely good idea, however I was not a fan.
First, I was very disappointed in the illustrations throughout the book. The pictures did not show an accurate depiction of the words being described. The book also had very old and uninteresting illustrations. If I was bored, a young child will most likely be the same way. The colors on the pages were very bland and they did not catch my eye. The characters in the book looked a lot alike. They all had different colored hair, but their faces looked a lot like one another.
Another reason why I don’t like this book is the word choice. The words were not appropriate for first graders and they just did not make sense in my opinion. For example, one page said, “We’ll help the teacher decorate and sing a swoopy song. Our paper chains will swag the room. (We’re so big, so they’ll be long.) The word choice just was not appropriate in my opinion.
Throughout the book, the author went through a day of a first grader and expressed all of the fun and interesting things an incoming first grader could look forward to. If the word choice was different as well as the pictures, I think this book would be a hit. ( )

First Grade, Here I Come!

Tony Johnston

I liked this book for three reasons. First, the characters in the book are relatable and believable to the reader. In this book, there is a young boy imagining numerous scenarios about what his experiences will be like with his classmates as he begins first grade. The main character states, “...at recess we’ll be super guys. We’ll all screech ‘Zippy-do!’ And dash around all fun of zoom. We’ll all be Captain True.” The reader can relate and make a connection with the main character in going back and wondering what school would be like as a child. Second, the illustrations in the text are appropriate to the mood of the story and enhance it. Due to the fact that this book is geared towards young children entering first grade, the mood of the book is uplifting and filled with excitement and wonder as seen through the bright hues and exaggerated cartoon pictures. As the main character remarks, “We’ll do a neat-o dragon play. We’ll be the guys who yelp when dragons come to scorch them up,” the book illustrates a child dressed as a frightening dragon blowing flames while the other children are dressed as knights ready to defeat the dragon. The colors, animation, and actions help support what happened in the text. Third, the writing in the book is engaging since it is filled with descriptive language and rhyme. For example, the young boy says, “We’ll lash our tails and flash our eyes and clash our fangs and growl.” The imagery allows the reader to envision the children in the book acting like animals, and the rhyming pattern found within the text makes the book more interesting and easier to follow. Overall, the main idea of the book is that school is an important place in life to create memories and to make friendships. It is more important to develop friendships with all classmates and be kind to everyone rather than having a handful of friends. ( )

A playfully rambunctious boy plans his first day of first grade,

"For show-and-tell, no teddy bears.
I'll bring my snake - oh joy!
My friends will hold my boa up.
(I call him Huggy Boy.)"

For this scene, the playful illustrations show the teacher standing atop her desk while the kids hoist Huggy Boy.

Cheerful, silly fun!

http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com ( )