School's First Day of School

The newly-constructed Frederick Douglas Elementary School looks forward to the start of the school year with trepidation in this engaging, warmhearted take on a classic childhood concern. Will he like being filled with children, even if they get everywhere and make messes? How will he react when some of the children don't like him? In the end, despite some initial tensions - an embarrassing accidental fire-alarm, a sad little girl who declares her dislike of school - he eventually decides that being a school is a very good thing indeed...

I enjoyed this newest offering from author Adam Rex, known for his many humorous picture-books, and illustrator Christian Robinson, awarded a Caldecott Honor just this year for Last Stop on Market show more Street. Children who fear the first day of school might find some comfort in the idea of an anthropomorphic school that has his own reservations, while others will undoubtedly just enjoy the humorous role-reversal in School's First Day of School, tickled at the idea of a school being afraid at all. The artwork is colorful and appealing, depicting a diverse range of children attending Frederick Douglas Elementary. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about the first day of school. show less

Turns the "first day of school" book on its head brilliantly! This time, it's not a kid who's nervous about the first day of school...it's the school itself.

Bright, charming, with plenty of humor (a bit Mac Bernett-esque), this is an absolute winner. It contains the phrase "nose milk" - what more could you want?

Almost geometric illustrations on a white background are similar to Last Stop on Market Street (it's the same illustrator, Christian Robinson).

*

Re-read repeatedly, including February-March 2018; re-read February 2020; re-read May 2021

In my opinion, School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex is a really good book! I liked this book for many reasons. First, the illustrations really enhanced the story. I felt that by having a face on the school, it made the dialogue with the school much more realistic throughout the story. The illustrations were also really easy to follow and were representative of the text. The book stated, “The girl with freckles made a picture of the school.” You can clearly see in the illustration that she drew a picture of the school exactly as it looks in the illustrations. The illustrations are very bright and colorful, which is perfect for young students. I also liked that characterization of the book. I really liked how the author made the show more actual school a character. There are many books about going to school, but I have never seen a book where the school is the main character. I felt like this added a whole different perspective to the first day of school; it was not from the student’s perspective, but rather from the school’s perspective. For these reasons, I really enjoyed School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex. show less

School's First Day of School is a great book about the school's first day of school instead of a students. I like how it switches the perspective and it is from the school's point of view. This is a great book for introducing point of views and to help children feel more comfortable at school or during the first day of school. Recommended for the lower levels of elementary because it is an easy read. The book is also very colorful and humorous which draws the readers attention in. Definitely recommended!

Delightful. Honest and authentic. A good lesson in empathy, presented obliquely so it doesn't seem didactic. Could also be used a model for a Creative Writing exercise.

I wish the funny joke was included, instead of just mentioned.

And I liked that the teacher said "Don't tell anyone, but I think it's the best." ( It's tough to encourage talent without showing favorites, but necessary because we need our most talented kids to continue to strive rather than settling for mediocrity.)

This book will probably be bought by, or given to, lots of teachers and school libraries, and the creators deserve every cent of the royalties they earn for it, imo.

Rex, A. & Robinson, C. (2016). School's First Day of School. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.

School's First Day of School is about a newly built school's first day of school, learning about new things along with the other children, and making friends with the children.

This story is very simple but cleverly done with the school being the main character. There are many first day of school stories for children nervous about starting school for the first time, but telling the story from the school's perspective is original and fresh. The school is nervous, too, and at first doesn't think it likes this thing called school but eventually it comes to enjoy it along with the more nervous of the children.

The text is very simple but clear to show more understand and works well when read aloud. The illustrations are gorgeous and feature mobile, diverse characters acting throughout the pages, emphasizing the text and sharing more details for the reader to pick out.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it would be good for children who enjoy school stories or are worried themselves about the prospect of school. show less

I love this book. Who ever thought of what the school thought of school! :) I like the range of emotions the school goes through and I think kindergarten and first grade students will relate. The illustrations show a diverse student body and lots of fun school details. I look forward to reading this to my younger elementary classes next fall.