One of the things I love about the book is how it builds from “This is a kid.” to a class in a hallway, to the school and that all caps “WELCOME!” What a way to make readers feel seen and appreciated. Another plus of this book is Schu’s acknowledgment that “Sometimes we don’t have the answers. Other days we feel stuck.” He lets kids know that it is a normal part of the school-week to sometimes be the one who doesn’t know the answer, and that’s okay. And there is the continuous emphasis on community. The repeated use of we as the subject. “We create. We cheer. We play. We learn.”
Veronica Miller Jamison’s watercolor and acrylic illustrations feature children and adults of many different racial and ethnic backgrounds all working together, laughing, learning, and supporting one another. Not just at school, but parents at home reading with children or picking kids up after school, bus drivers and crossing guards keeping everyone safe…a community of learners. A couple of my favorite images stick with me even after I close the covers. One is the child with eyes and mouth wide open in excitement as a baking soda volcano erupts. Another is the double-page spread of preparation for the holiday celebration with snowflakes, a menorah, Chinese lanterns, and Diwali diyas.
Every page of this book has something to offer - an encouragement about the fun and opportunities to be had at school, reassurance that sometimes things do go wrong (but they can be fixed), and best of all the final sentiment “we are all important.” That sentiment is supported by the choice to make the book available in Spanish. Many of the schools in my district (and elsewhere) have students who are just learning English, or who use Spanish at home and are excited at the chance to have books that meet their needs - whether it is to be able to read along in class or to share with a family member who is more comfortable with Spanish text.
Both versions of the book come with a poster on the reverse of the dust jacket. There is also a teachers’ guide available on the Candlewick website. If you don’t have this title in your classroom library yet, hurry and get it. You will be glad you did - and so will your students.
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