Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books

Gilbert and Friends

by Diane deGroat

It's the first day of first grade! Gilbert is looking forward to learning how to read and making new friends, but . . . Will the teacher be nice?Will first grade be too hard?Will he like his classmates?Will they like him ?Gilbert is excited and nervous at the same time!

Genres: Picture Books, School, Childrens, Friendship, Animals, School Stories, Family

Unknown Binding

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kaulin]

Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books by de Groat, Diane
1: What did Gilbert's teacher write on the board?
Rules for the class
2: Who walked to school with Gilbert?
Patti & her mom
3: Gilbert was going to big kids' school. Lola was going to_______?
Preschool
4: Why wasn't Lola excited about school?
She wanted to go to Gilbert's school.
5: What did Gilbert think about first grade?
It was going to be hard.

[Ariana Torres]

The first day is exciting for Gilbert because he is going to 1st grade which is in the big kid school. Gilbert has new supplies such as new pencils and new notebooks. Lola, his younger sister, is going to be preschool. Gilbert and Patti (his best friend) both attend the first grade together. Mrs. Byrd, the first grade teacher is much different from his kindergarten teacher. Many of the children do not know how to read or spell and that is what they are going to learn. Throughout his first day, Gilbert makes new friends and finds new experiences to deal with! I think this book is good book to read to younger students who already know how to read but need more practice. I enjoyed the illustrations because they were fun and adorable. This book included everything that a student may encounter on the first day of school and that is what made it special. On some pages I think some paragraphs were too long for a young child that it took away some attention. The book had a full circle ending that ended in a good note. The book began at the beginning of the day until the end. I would recommend this book to young children because it will help advance in reading and the children can read it for practice.

[Natalie]

Gilbert is off to his first day of first grade while his little sister, Lola, has to go to preschool. Gilbert meets his new teacher, finds his cubby hole, but then he sits at the wrong desk because he doesn't see the names that mark each! Embarrassed, he makes his way through the whole day, and makes a new friend who helps Gilbert learn to read! Earlier in the morning, Gilbert's friend, Patti, tells him that if you do something wrong, you might get sent to the principal's office! Gilbert is mindful of this the whole day. But is the principal really mean?

I like this book, but my only complaint is that throughout the whole book, Gilbert is scared of the principal. Only on the very last page of the book is it briefly mentioned that the principal doesn't look that mean. I wouldn't want to put the unnecessary bias or thought into a new first grader's head that the principal is mean and that their existence is to see kids who get in trouble in their office.

[Beatrice Fox]

I love this world. And I really love the art. The characters are well defined and very appealing. The plot of this is really good. That scary important first day of school. I really like the feel of the adults. The parents getting them ready and taking it easy while the children worry a bit about it. I really like the teachers. Was nice at the end with the ice cream too. I see on facebook friends doing these kinds of things with their kids. Really nice. Especially the making friends part. Just a nice slice of life. Now the problem is...the writing and verbage seems really forced everywhere. Sometimes it is needlessly repetitive. Or strangely phrased. Or both. Still I really like the world. I was thinking I hope there are more stories. And there are...

[Madeline Volkman]

Diane deGroat is one of my favorite authors for children's literature. This book is great because it shows how nervous Gilbert is for a new school year, but then how every thing turns out okay. When the day starts off rough, Gilbert starts to get worried. At lunch though, the day turns around because he makes a new friend. I like this book because it is important for children to be able to relate to problems included in this book, like first day jitters.

[Carly Roesch]

I think this book was very good. It was filled with great pictures and I enjoyed reading it. It was about Gilbert starting his first day of first grade. It walks you through his first day, his school materials and talked about his teacher. It also mentioned about his friend Patti and younger sister Lola. I think this book is good for kids because it explains what school is going to be like and will help them practice reading stories.

[Anthony]

It's the first day of 1st grade for Gilbert, and he's excited and nervous of what is going to happen. Will his new teacher be mean, or nice? Will he make new friends? Will he fit in? Will he learn all the rules? As the day progresses, he discovers that there are some differences in 1st grade, but all-all he enjoyed his first day of school.

[Catherine]

An OK story about the characters first day at school. The only thing that makes this book special is that the author has written a companion book about the last day of school. It is one of several books about the same animal characters, so there's that, too. Young kids love that.

[Madeline Clements]

I thought this book was very entertaining. It would be great to read to children on their first day of school. Bright and colorful pictures and good story line.

[Kasey McSwain]

Cute cute! The wordy kind of picture book, but in the sweetest way. Perfect for little ones starting school, especially those with some worries going in. And a comfy, cozy art style to boot!

[Ashley Moser]

1st grade, back to school book. All about adjusting to a new grade level and recognizing everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

[Kariana Reads Kids' Books]

Mr. Pug is clearly a French bulldog but WHATEVAHHH

[Dolly]

Sweet and utterly forgettable story, but one that would likely appeal to young children who are about to start school.

[Well-Read Mama]

This book is not about the first day of kindergarten, but about the first day of 1st grade. I still believe it should be included in my kindergarten book list because it teaches kids a lot about friendship.

I will soon post my review here:
https://wellreadmama.com/kindergarten...

[Liane]

Genre: Picture book

Reading Level: Early

Topics & Themes: Starting 1st grade and preschool. Anxiety about starting school. Schedule of school day. Rules of school.

Curricular Use: Shared reading

Social: Competition: reading and on the playground. Bullies.

Literary Elements: 3rd person. Characters are different animals with adult characters named after their animals: Mr. Pug, Mrs. Byrd, and Mrs. Duck. Personification. Onomatopoeia.

Text & Pictures: Interaction of text and pictures.

[Gail Barge]

This book would be good to read at the beginning of a new school year in a younger grade. It has a similar theme as Wemberly Worried (first day of school jitters). The themes of friendship, making new friends, teachers, and younger siblings could all be very relatable to students in kindergarten or first grade. I loved the way every person in the book had both a strength and an area for improvement, so every person felt good at something and also have an area for growth during the school year. A good book overall! I recommend it!

[Bekkah Riecke]

I enjoyed this one more than some of the other beginning of the year books I have read. I feel like the tone of this one was more positive and showed good things about first grade without putting down other grades.

This book would be great for any students who are really nervous about a new school or moving to a new grade level (especially from Kindergarten to First Grade). We could talk about what the students think will be the same and what they think will be different about their new school/class/grade and we could encourage each other with the positive things about change.

[Gaby Roman]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It would be great to read at the beginning of the year, Especially for 1st grade. I may have my
Students break up into small groups and think of something they are worried or excited about with the beginning of school. As a class we will discuss all the new things we will be doing and who we may be meeting. I would encourage my students to be positive and remind them it's natural to feel nervous.

[Clairissa D]

This story is about Gilbert's first day of school he has moved to first grade and is both excited and nervous all at the same time. He is nervous because he will be in a new classroom with new kids and is concerned about making new friends.he finds out quickly that first grade is a a lot different from kindergarten. he meets the class bully and makes a new friend all in the same day. I would use this text to teach or introduce sequencing to my students as well as elements of a story.

[Amanda]

I have never read this book before and decided to see what it was about. This book is very well written and is a great book to read to younger children before they start school. The book helps them to understand that it is okay to be nervous to start somewhere new, but so is everyone else. It helps children to understand that even if someone is better than you at one thing, doesn't necessarily mean they are better than you at everything.

[Kate Hastings]

For students transitioning to K and 1. First Grade is full of new things for Gilbert. He's unsure of what he is supposed to do. Some kids are good at reading. Others can paint or climb well. Gilbert learns where to sit and what to do, and the class learns their teacher's rules for the school year. A good overview and story for students at the beginning of the school year.

[Taylor Johnson]

This is one of the first day of school books that i favor over some of the others. It has a great story and includes many of the things that children worry about when they are moving to a higher grade. Bullies, making friends, losing friends, having everything you need, liking the teacher, etc. Younger children will really enjoy this book.

[Priscilla Schelling]

This book is a great one to start off the first days of school with younger to middle-elementary students. It talks about making new friends and sticking close to the old friends too. Most students can also relate to having/being the younger sibling who wants to be just like the older sibling and go to big boy/girl school. It's written for younger to mid-elementary students.

[Sydney McClure]

This may be a good book to read aloud to your class during the first week of school. Some students would struggle with the paragraph of text on each page. This is a fun book about a first graders worries about his new school year-will he get sent to the principal, is his teacher nice, will he make friends?

[Raven Grider]

Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books is a great book to use when a child is going to a new class. The character in the story is going to 1st grade, so this would be great to read to first graders at the beginning of the school year, or kindergartners at the end of the year.

[Matthew]

Definitely a bit longer than a first grader would sit through in class, but just right or them to take home and read with the family. I like the books in this series though I generally don't read them aloud. Still, I like the series.

[Kelsey]

I thought this was a well written book that many children will be able to relate to. It expresses well the feelings of a young child starting school and portrays these fears in a realistic way that children can understand.

[Tricia]

The first day of first grade brings worries for Gilbert, including about his teacher and class bully. Prequel to series about main character.

[Misty]

Got the first day jitters? Read this book to a class on the first day of school to help alleviate the nerves. This book would be especially good for younger grades.

[Allisa Zamarripa-Garza]

My favorite back to school book!! Gilbert and his friends have a great first day with their new teacher!