Chu's First Day at School

Chu #2

by Neil Gaiman, Adam Rex (Illustrator)

Chu's First Day at School

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Animals, Fiction, Back To School, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Calista]

This is the last Chu book by Neil Gaiman I have to read. The animals are so cute. I love the little giraffe, cuteness overload. Chu is a panda going to school for the first time so this is your basic nervous to go to school story. Chu is known for his amazing sneezes and I guess gets his name from the phenomenon.

Chu is nervous and eventually finds out school is fun and he fits in. There isn't a whole lot here, but it's for very young readers and it will be perfect for them. There is a few chuckles in here.

[Archit]

When a Panda is involved in a children's book. I immediately jump on the chance!

First days of the the school are always special and Chu's books remind you of just that.

[Miranda Reads]

Sometimes the books you once loved just... hit a bit different when you learn too much.

This one used to be a 4 star read.

My original review - cause some can separate the art and this book had rather good elements... but I'm really struggling here.

Chu goes to school and sneezes. Not much plot development and the non-existent villain fell extremely flat.

What else do you expect in this series?

Audiobook Comments
I still think it's hilarious that they made an audiobook for this kids book. Read by Neil Gaiman - and (as always) he rocked the narration.

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[Laura]

3.5 Stars

Chu's First Day of School is soooooo adorable!

This panda makes me want to go out and buy bushels of stuffed animals to hug! That look! The look on Chu’s face could melt the grouchiest grouch in all the land.

A cute, quick tale about first day of school jitters. A tale that shines with a just be yourself message. Don’t be afraid to talk and share. Let it all out. Haha….Chu certainly does. :)

That said though…I did not enjoy this story as much as the first book. The ending felt abrupt. I even flipped back once or twice to make sure I didn’t skip a page.

Every child is a little nervous about the first day of school though. Perhaps Chu will let kids know they’re not alone and ease the worry.

A must read for panda fans for sure. I’m off to hunt down more adorableness from Adam Rex.

[Paul]

Loads more sneezing fun . Great fun to read

[Bea]

Chu the sneezing panda is back and nervous about starting school. He worries if he'll like it, he worries if the others will like him, but he doesn't, oddly, worry about his sneezing. It's a pretty standard story, with nothing new to add about starting school or what school is like. The artwork is still a delight, with the last few pages at school full of vivid visual details.

The teacher asks each student to say their name and one thing that they love doing. At first, the answers are cliched: the giraffe likes retrieving items from high up and the monkey likes to climb. Not exactly original. Around the circle they go with Chu last. With all the chalk dust in the air from the blackboard, it's no surprise that he sneezes, startling every one. Sadly, Chu claims his sneezing as the thing he most enjoys doing and then the story cuts to him at home saying how much everyone liked him. Really? We didn't see anything to substantiate that claim. Sure they're smiling after his sneeze but how does that translate to being liked?

Despite the cliches and story inconsistencies, the story and artwork are cute and I think most preschoolers and kindergartners will enjoy the book and relate to Chu's nervousness. It did make me smile.

[Kat]

Basic Plot: It's all in the title.

The art in this book is simply adorable. There are some truly wonderful, subtle details to the pictures to get any small child talking about what characters are thinking/feeling and what is happening. Gaiman's simple prose had my son anticipating the pattern of the story and excitedly reciting along on the first read through. Impressive. I adore Neil Gaiman, and Chu just gives me another reason to keep on doing so.

[Jeremy West]

Gaiman is back with his signature quirky style in this fun follow-up to Chu's Day. It's Chu's first day of school and he wants new friends...but can he keep his secret for long? I adore these books and want them to keep going forever.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better)]

Cute. Sweet. I loved it

[Kaethe]

This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.

Yay, Reviewers list is fixed, as far as I can tell. Still waiting for the Readers list to be fixed, though.

Having just noted that I didn't write anything about Chu's Day the second time I read it, I see that I didn't write anything at all about Chu 2 Electric Big Achoo (Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology PoemsI couldn't resist, really, I tried for like 2-3 seconds and that was it). There came a time when no longer having young children I wasn't up on picture books, nor was I really paying much attention to anyone else on the topic.

And what would I have said? I love Adam Rex! I love Neil Gaiman! Adorable!

August 17, 2016
September 27, 2014

Library copy

[DeeReads]

Chu the panda is having some major jitters about his first of school! Such a cute story about acceptance.







5 cute stars 🎇🎇🎇🎇🎇 !

[Romelle]

The first line of the book felt out of place: "There was a thing Chu could do." It didn't need to be there, but I realized author Neil Gaiman wanted to set us up early on. It definitely served as a "hook." Otherwise, we may feel like this is another first day of school kind of book...which it is. Chu is nervous about going to school. He worried whether the kids would like him or if they would be nice. When he got to school, each student shared what they love to do, but Chu found himself speechless until the very end, when we find out the special thing he does.

What I love about the book is the character, Chu. He is lovable! Though I may be biased since I love pandas. I also
love the beautiful and fun illustration style of Adam Rex, which brings life to the characters and the story. I love the repetition of words, perfect for reading aloud: "I love to ______. What about you?" "Chu didn't say anything." And I love the surprise that will surely tickle the young reader.

The storyline is simple and lacking in plot in the traditional sense. This makes the story come across as scant, but nevertheless, I found Chu's First Day of School entertaining!

[Maggie KutsBorg]

Really a far cry from the first one, which has a really funny story. This one is just the typical "I'm scared of school / I'm at school / School was ok!" story that just .... zzzzzzzzzzz. I also felt like the text and pictures don't establish Chu's positive experience of school at all; he does his big sneeze, and the other characters smile a bit in their reaction shot, then it cuts immediately to after school with the parents. Illustrations are luminous and full of great details as before, however.

[Vi]

My son loves this book and frequently requests it as one of his three bedtime stories. Compared to Gaiman's adult (even young adult) work and my kiddo's other board books, there are a couple of awkward (pacing-wise) moments in the book but irrespective of that, my son adores the story (he loves the cuddly panda and that Chu goes to school much like he does) so my rating is probably what he'd give it, if he knew the world of rating and critiquing literary work.

[Samantha]

I like it and I don't like it. The language was just a little awkward for me. The content was good: beginning school fears. I liked the scenes in which the children were sharing what they each liked to do and Chu's dynamic presence, but the text felt choppy when I tried reading the book aloud.

Oil and mixed media illustrations. PreK-2.

[Toni]

These are not his best nor my favorite of Gaiman’s work, but there’s something in the utter simplicity of them, in their short succinct nothingness that I find irresistible. Plus, Adam Rex’s illustrations for this little panda make me swoon!

[Beth]

Just like with the first Chu book, the story didn't wow me but Adam Rex's endearing illustrations did.

[Sara Santana]

This book is simply adorable. I can't handle a kid's book about pandas, my second favorite animal

[Dave Schaafsma]

A little too cute for me, but you know, there are pages of Gaiman humor he slips in that I appreciate...

[Dodie]

This book is great for kids for are afraid of the first day of school

[Huratio]

I liked it when Chu sneezed and messed up everything in the classroom.

[Alison]

It was very adorable

[Iben]

Fortsat søde illustrationer. Historien stort set identisk med den første: Pandaen nyser -godnat.

[Indah Threez Lestari]

23 - 2021

[Ash]

Nice twist in the end

[Glasdow Teacosy]

Adam Rex and Neil Gaiman return with a new adventure for Chu. As before, the story is a build up for Chu’s loud and catastrophic sneezes, but the art is a splendorous splash of color and humor. Couple that with Neil Gaiman’s witty writing, and children will be delighted. If you have a chance, listen to Gaiman’s reading in the audiobook. It’s included with the price of the book, which is quite affordable to begin with.

[Giorgina]

Gaiman lo escribe y Shio lo lee.

Otra entrega de las historias de Chu, al parecer este es el tomo 2, por lo cuál yo tenía leído el 1 y el 3. Excelente servicio se puede leer de forma independiente.
Esta vez el hermoso panda protagonista, Chu, tiene su primer día de clase y obvio tiene todos los temores que tenemos en cada año de comienzo escolar ante el nuevo y desconocido universo que representará ese salón de clase con los sujetos desconocidos.

Bonus: hay un mono con la remera de Brasil.
Excelente servicio.

[Andy]

As much of a Neil Gaiman fan as I am, his preschool Chu stories just don't do anything for me. Well, at least the text which comes across weird and disjointed. I think the illustrations are wonderfully detailed and coloured, though I think this pales compared to the original story. It's a typical first day at school tale with little of the wit or charm of the first.

Saying all that, my 3 year old son loves these stories so what do I know? He just sits giggling waiting for the big sneeze so maybe it doesn't have to be any more complex.

[Charlotte Jones]

I really enjoy Neil Gaiman's books, especially 17718088.jpghis children's books, but this is the youngest book I've read by him. I loved Adam Rex's illustrations; they are painted with a lot of intricate detail which I feel is unusual for picture books nowadays. Although the story itself is nothing extraordinary, the themes and characters are well done. I don't have much to say with these being such short picture books but they are definitely stories that I would love to share with my son one day and the illustrations are something that would make me buy the paperbacks.

[Carina]

My mom read this book to me in the library because she spotted Neil Gaiman's name on the cover. She was curious to see what Gaiman would write in a children's book, as she is a lover of his novel-turned-movie, Stardust. Chu is a panda who goes to school with lots of other animals. On the first day of school, they each share something about themselves. Chu is worried he won't have anything to share. The illustrations were realistic (if animals wore clothes and went to school!), but they weren't exactly the cute style I prefer.