Back to school!
It’s the most wonderful time … or the most stressful. Classes are beginning, summer is ending and the breathless race through the school year has begun. Young people might be apprehensive about the changes ahead of them, and these three picture books offer comfort — for anyone who has worrisome questions about school, more words than they know what to do with, or, perhaps, hardly any words to share.
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“Ruby René Had So Much to Say” by Ashley Iman, illustrated by Gladys Jose. (Ages 4-8. Kokila. $18.99.)
Did you know that flamingos have no teeth and that the first game of dodgeball was played hundreds of years ago in Africa? Ruby René does, and she’d like to tell you about it. In fact, “asking questions, stating facts, and sharing dreams, Ruby René could talk for hours.”
But at school — well, teachers don’t always appreciate a student who has so much to say, even if she’s just trying to help. “Ruby,” her teacher sighs, “hold it in your brain. We can talk more later.”
Ruby tries to be silent, tries to write instead of talking, but she doesn’t have her breakthrough moment until one day, when the principal, instead of shutting her down, asks her to share a bit more. Ruby René finds that her eagerness to communicate is a strength, not a weakness — and that she is more than able to rise to the occasion.
Funny, quirky and kind, this book tells a simple story of turning challenges into opportunities — but also subtly reminds readers that young people’s voices are valuable and that young minds need encouragement, not exasperation.
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“Home in a Lunchbox” by Cherry Mo. (Ages 4-8. Penguin Workshop. $18.99.)
On her first day in a new school and a new country, Jun has notes written directly on her hand — the words “hello,” “thank you” and “I don’t know” — and as she struggles through her confusing, exhausting day, those are the only words she has to work with.
The days tiptoe past — Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — and Jun, unable to understand the words spoken around her, unable to make friends or express herself, finds glorious refuge in one thing: her lunchbox, packed with the tastes of home.
Cherry’s Mo’s “Home in a Lunchbox” has few words, but it is packed with emotion (and dumplings), with luminous illustrations that explode into color every time Jun opens her lunchbox and is surrounded by the comfort of familiar tastes and happy memories.
And, as it turns out, that lunchbox full of love is not just a comfort. It’s also a connection, as one kind student reaches out and Jun shares a piece of her happiness, starting a chain reaction of shared dumplings, pizza, spaghetti, hamburgers — and friendship.
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“Olu’s Teacher: A Story About Starting Preschool” by Jamel C. Campbell, illustrated by Lydia Mba. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)
Olu isn’t so sure about starting preschool. OK, he’ll have some friends in his class, and they might be doing some fun things, but what about the teacher? “Where do teachers LIVE? What do teachers EAT? What if my teacher has big, sharp teeth like a T. rex?” Don’t worry, his parents reassure him. Teachers are “people like us.”
Olu feels very small and very scared, but then he meets his teacher Jay, whose big smile and calming ways are a welcome surprise. Moment by moment, Jay helps him feel more at home, and the day flies by. “I blink twice — and all of a sudden, Mom’s there.”
As she picks him up, Olu finally realizes who his teacher reminds him of — and the moment brings him a great big smile just like Jay’s.
Written with warmth and understanding by early childhood educator Jamel C. Campbell, this refreshing introduction to first days and first school experiences includes a note at the end for grown-ups with suggestions about building excitement and confidence in young students, because every child deserves the sparkling start that Olu gets in this lovely book.
Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com.
