Are you getting ready for school? Perhaps your child like mine is going to a new school this year. This is always added stress for the child and with two and half weeks of summer vacation left the stress is showing here. What if the kids are mean like at my old school? What if the teacher is mean? There are so many worries there. The first book I am sharing is a perfect book for this situation. It is Origami Peace Cranes: Friendships Take Flight by Sue DiCicco.
Emma is new in town and has to start school. What should she wear? How should she do her hair? She wants to be special so all the kids will want to be friends with her. When she gets to school she sees how different she is from the other kids and cannot imagine they will like plain her and the other kids cannot understand why she doesn't want to be friends with them. There smart teacher has the solution though. A class activity of making origami peace cranes and exchanging them. Emma is shocked to see her desk full of paper cranes when the exchange is done and is amazed to find out the kids like her as she is and she likes each of them as they are.
This book is fun and shares feeling that many kids experience the first day at a new school. There is the excitement and nervousness all rolled into one. I love the overall message though of accepting yourself and others just how each is because each is perfect as the person he or she is suppose to be.
The book comes with origami paper and instructions to make paper cranes. I have made many paper cranes over the years and have to say these instructions are among the easiest I have seen.
I made two after reading the book. The red one is from the paper that came with the book and the other was using Hazel's special origami paper someone recently bought for her.
Our second book for today is a different type of first day of school. I have seen books that look at a student's first day and even a teacher's first day, but this book looks at the actual building's first day of school. It is School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and illustrated by Christian Robinson.
The building got built during the summer and is not sure what to expect. It likes the peaceful days with just the janitor. The janitor explains to the building the children will be coming soon and the building is not so sure about that. The first day comes and the building sees lots of different things from the older kids who say they do not like school to the little kindergartener who cries about going. Throughout the day the school experiences many different things and even learns some lessons and soon realizes how special it is to be a school building.
How would your school building feel if it has feelings? It is such an interesting point of view of the nerves of the first day and I hope it will get some kids minds off of their own nerves. The pictures are colorful and this one is also a multicultural book.
So as the school year begins be sure to check out these books!! I know you will love them!
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