First Day, Hooray!

Description

A back-to-school picture book about the importance of acknowledging your feelings and using them as tools for navigating new experiences. Inspired by the way teachers talk about emotional literacy with young children, this is the ideal book for any kid facing a big milestone, from the author of the bestselling The Goodnight Train.

There’s a lot to check off on the back-to-school list. Lunchbox? Check. Notebook? Paper? Glue stick? Check. Check. Check. But school supplies aren’t the only thing we bring with us. We also bring along our FEELINGS!!

Follow along as a class of young children learns to identify and process the wide array of feelings they meet on the first day of school. Say “hello” to HAPPY, soothe ANGER, jump with EXCITED, and shout HOORAY when a fun day comes to an end.

Inspired by the way educators talk about emotions and build emotional literacy with young children, this rhyming picture book encourages readers to observe and name their feelings and use them to their advantage. First Day, Hooray! provides the tools needed for social emotional learning in and outside the classroom and is an ideal read for rising kindergarteners, to share leading up to and during the first days of school and anytime a child is facing a big change. Includes a back matter note from an educator to guide teachers and caregivers in encouraging emotional literacy with children.

Praise

The first day of school overflows with feelings.

Children starting school experience conflicting emotions; the racially diverse youngsters in this book are no different. Throughout, they exhibit excitement, nervousness, fear, happiness, and anxiety. Sobel acknowledges these universal emotions, which stand out on the page in colorful capitals letters: “EMBARRASSED! / Oops! Paint in my hair!” “Hello HAPPY soaring by. / A joyful bird loves to fly.” Lively digital illustrations depict a variety of realistic school scenarios: a child having a meltdown after breaking a pencil and losing a folder; children excitedly playing at recess. The author makes clear that we all experience a range of feelings and that our emotions matter; she also acknowledges that feelings depend on circumstances. The illustrations provide jumping-off points for discussion, so grown-ups reading this book aloud should encourage youngsters to talk about how starting school—or navigating any new life experiences—made them feel and what events triggered the feelings. Helpful backmatter includes questions that adults can ask kids as they read. The author includes comforting, mindful messages: Breathe deeply when you’re upset, don’t be afraid to try new things, and “take time out” when angry. Perhaps most reassuring: “Feelings are not right or wrong. / They find a spot where they belong.”

A validating and comforting look at big emotions. (Picture book. 4-7)

—Kirkus