First Day

by Margaret Wild, Kim Gamble (Illustrator)

On the first day of school...Alex hopes she will make a friend, Salma wants to learn to write NOW Stephen is a little bit scared, and Penny is as wriggly as a tadpole. Khalil is the best at tying shoelaces, and Jun just wants to count...10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ZERO! But what is the little dog, Josh, up to? A sunny story for little ones starting out and for anyone remembering their early days at school.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

About the author

Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most highly respected picture-book creators whose award-winning children's books are loved by children all over the world. Margaret has published over seventy picture books for young children and she has been the recipient of the Nan Chauncy Award and the Lady Cutler Award for her contributions to Australian children's literature.

Reviews

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is split up into sections of a child's first day at school. From 'before school' to 'home time'. It shows children getting ready for school independently, saying goodbye to family and making friends. It gives some examples of what the children do at school during the day, singing, drawing, mat/floor time and even nap time. It talks about what children do in the playground at lunchtime. The final part of the story is ‘Home Time’ which shows the children telling their families about their day.

I like the 'in the morning' part where Salma "wants to learn to write - now". I remember a few kids leaving after their first day of school who were quite sad because they hadn't learned to read or write yet.

This book is a very thorough narrative about a child's first day at school and as such it is quite long. If a teacher is reading this story to a young group of children then it may need to be read in instalments - perhaps over the course of a day (time the story sections to match the children's tie of day). It would be a good book for parents to start reading to children a few months before they start school. Repeated readings may encourage conversations about hat to expect.

[Fatima Seraj Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different kids going to school and having different experiences. School can be overwhelming for little ones and this book shows how little kids can place importance on things that seem little for adults.

[Lara Bate · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Day by Margaret Wild is a story of children who attend their first day of school. It is fairly lengthy but is a good book for children about to start school.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Open Library.