By now it’s sunk in: Summer vacation is over and school has begun. As the excitement of Day 1 fades, the worries rear their heads. What if I don’t know my way around? What if I don’t make any friends? What if I need help? As it turns out, those are universal questions, and there are some great new books that reassure young readers (and their families) that friendship and acceptance are the answers — and go a long way to helping with the worries that surface with the inevitable new situations.
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“The Tour at School” by Katie Clapham, illustrated by Nadia Shireen. (Ages 3-7. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)
If only every school tour were like this one! When it’s your job to show a new person around school, “there are lots of things to remember because they don’t know ANYWHERE and you have to tell them about EVERYTHING.”
The very enthusiastic young tour guide (showing a newcomer the most crucial elements of her elementary school) leaves nothing out: the cool echo in the bathroom, the imaginary hairdressers on the playground, and, of course, the emergency meet-up place.
The most important question she answers, however, is what happens after The Tour … when, just maybe, it’s time to become friends.
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“Narwhal vs. Kindergarten” by Vanessa Roeder. (Ages 3-7. Dial. $18.99.)
This book about fitting in gets right to the point — the one on the head of Hugo the narwhal. His spectacular horn means he doesn’t fit into the bus, balloons are always popping in his presence, and Silly Hat Day is just a disaster. In fact, “Hugo couldn’t make it through one day of kindergarten without finding himself in a pickle.”
He’s got so much trouble fitting in! But then he’s not alone, either. (Dial)
But as it turns out, neither could any of his classmates: The armadillo curls into a ball at the least opportune times, the snake struggles to play ball without any hands, and the octopus just keeps inking.
But that’s not the end of the story. With each problem, Hugo and his classmates find “clever solves, clear fixes, positive solutions, and practical answers” — including a very funny improvised batting helmet for Hugo. Together, he and his friends realize that they all have special qualities and that they all can give each other a hand (or trunk, or tentacle).
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“Toto” by Hyewon Yum. (Ages 4-8. Neal Porter Books. $18.99.)
This gentle and sensitive story about hiding — and sharing — something special will resonate with young people who wear their differences where everyone else can see them.
Here, “Toto” is not the little girl’s name; it’s the name of the pink birthmark on her forehead, the one she’s had forever, the one that makes her wonder how she would look without it. “Would I look pretty? Would I look plain?” Her family says it’s a special blessing, but she notices that “sometimes people only see Toto, not me.”
So when she starts school, her mother cuts bangs that hang over her forehead, hiding most of Toto from view. And all is well at school … until the day she hangs upside down on the monkey bars, and her new best friend sees Toto. In a stunning spread that lingers on the embarrassment and vulnerability of the moment, author/illustrator Hyewon Yum shows Toto’s unexpected debut before a new friend — and the tremendous power of a loving response.
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She’s messy, creative and always full of energy, and now she’s concocted a friend. (Penguin Workshop)
“Mabel Makes (Up) a Friend: The Elephant in the Room” by Cyndi Marko. (Ages 5-8. Penguin Workshop. $13.99.)
Mabel is in a real fix. Second grade is starting, and not only is she in a different classroom than her friends but she’s also riding another bus, because she moved to a new neighborhood. Messy, creative and endlessly energetic, she feels lost … until a new friend shows up to help her out: Mr. E the make-believe elephant. (“Nuts,” he laments. “I was really hoping I was real.”)
Sometimes everyone is too busy for Mabel. Sometimes she’s too distracted to realize her real friends are reaching out to her. And sometimes she just needs some quality time playing Crash Kittens Racing with Mr. E.
Funny, scattered and very relatable, Mabel tries to find her own way through her many dilemmas in this graphic novel — and just as she starts to find her way, another conflict appears, setting up a Book 2 that Mabel fans will be eager to tackle.
Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com.