Book Review: My First Day of Kindergarten (a dog story, and 11 others)

My First Day of Kindergarten: A Beechview Elementary School Series book, by Andy Gutman* (Independently published, 2023, 28pp, $9.50)

Authors and Characters

The Most Unique, Helpful Book!

Guess who the author is of My First Day of Kindergarten? The twelve fifth-graders on the cover! (With the help of real-life author (of several books) and adult Andy Gutman.)

Each  young author also chose a teacher from the elementary school to serve as a writing mentor, so thanks also must go out to the school's teachers and their principal. And each chapter features a character from one of Gutman's books**!

Do You Remember Your First Day of Kindergarten?

Were you just a little bit nervous (yet excited) because you didn't know anyone and your mother left you? Was your best friend  in the other classroom and you couldn't see each other until after school and couldn't even eat lunch together? 

Or did you have an older brother or sister who told you what to expect (since parents are too old to remember?) 

What if you had had a book written by kids, telling about their first day of school? Now you do!

Some kids cry because they don't know anyone and they are afraid they won't have fun or make any friends but everyone does, thanks to their caring teachers. They do make friends quickly and have fun, learning new rules - they can't wait to return the next day. And your child will have his favorite chapter or two.

BD's First Day: Nerves and Tears Turn into Best Friends

Juliet writes about BD, the dog on the cover, and his first day at kindergarten in Miss Kitty's class, which is typical yet different from all the others! Your child will learn that whatever his experiences are, other kids share them, and best friends are there to be made before the day is over.

My First Day is the first in the Beechview Elementary School Series, so expect more books to help kids in the near future.

*and 12 fifth-graders!

**It was a requirement to use at least one character from an Andy Gutman book, so the reader will learn more about dogs and bugs and even kids. Some authors used the same characters but gave them different names, something else fun about this book. We especially love how the people and dogs are illustrated.

Book Review: Accidents Happen (OT) (a children's book to keep)

Accidents Happen, by Jennifer Stupey (JETLAUNCH, 2024, 46pp, $14.99, ages: baby - 18 years) Review by Skye Anderson

Accidents happen! 

And this is a wonderful book for all ages to cherish - forgiving and inspirational. With illustrations by Loren Billington, this little book is one that will help you and your children through hard times. We also love the greenish-white pages and simple yet meaningful drawings. As a bonus, most of the people depicted have red hair!

Accidents happen! 

But it is what happens after the accident that is important. What you do and how you recover.

Author Jennifer Stupey has written an almost-autobiography on two levels: one for the younger set learning that apologies go a long way to heal both people concerned, and one for older kids who may have had a recent death in the family (in the author's case, her husband in a car accident). 

We drop ice-cream cones, we spill milk, we play too rough with our siblings, we break things of value, we say hurtful things, we trip and fall: but we can wipe up spills, mend broken things, apologize for hurting a friend's feelings, kiss an "ow-ie" and bandage it.

Accidents can make us sad or mad, we can learn that it's OK to not be OK and we can learn to understand and to accept what we cannot comprehend, we can become strong and brave, we can gain knowledge and perspective, persistence and patience. We can live with grief and learn to move forward into the future together.

Accidents Happen!

And then there are big accidents, like car accidents that we can't reverse but "with a little help from our friends" (and family) and the words and pictures in Accidents Happen, we can move forward through it and come out the other side, stronger and with memories to last a lifetime.

This is such a charming heart-felt book that we are sure it will be on our Top Ten list for 2024!