The Day You Begin is a children’s book written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael Lopez. It was published in 2018. The target readers for this book are in grades Kindergarten through third grades. The book starts with the words “There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.” From there, Woodson shares ways that children might feel different from their peers, from their appearance to speaking a different language, to not getting to travel the way other kids might have over summer break. She includes ways that a student’s lunch might seem different or children might be differently abled and not included in the games of others. Near the end of the book, though, the tone changes. Woodson repeats the opening line but adds on “until the day you begin to share your stories.” As the characters begin to share their stories with each other, “the world opens itself up a little wider” and they begin to feel like they belong. At the end of the book we see the children smiling and playing together.
The setting is a school, with scenes taking place in classrooms, the lunchroom, and on the playground. Some scenes, though, include illustrations of what the characters are thinking about. At one point, for example, one side of the illustration shows two girls at a lunch table. The other side shows terraced rice fields, as one character remembers “that rice is the most popular food in the world.” The characters in the book display a range of backgrounds and needs. The first character we see is a young Black girl who has spent the summer babysitting her sister and reading instead of traveling like so many of her classmates. Next we are introduced to Rigoberto, who just immigrated from Venezuela. He’s very aware of the way his classmates struggle to understand his accented English. The next character is an Asian girl whose lunch of meat, kimchi and rice is a subject of curiosity for even her friend. Then there’s a young boy who is excluded from playing with the others because he’s physically not able to keep up with them. He holds a book and walks away by himself. The illustrations for this page show him enjoying the more colorful world of his book. The range of characters described in the text is supported by the beautiful illustrations. For example, the page featuring the students sharing about their travels has a colorful and fun-looking background while the character who had to stay home and babysit is against a dull, boring background. Additionally, Lopez included a ruler in many of the illustrations to emphasize the characters’ tendency to compare themselves with others. Once the characters begin to share their stories, though, the ruler no longer shows up in the illustrations.
This book can serve as a window for many students who might feel left out or different from their peers. Students who look, speak, or act differently from their peers might easily see themselves mirrored in the characters in the story. Those who feel left out because of physical or financial limitations might also identify with the characters in the book. Seeing the characters open up to their classmates and make new friends might prompt those who feel left out to try sharing their own stories. Also, the young boy who walks away from the group and enjoys his book might help those who prefer their own company to see that that’s an okay way to be, too. At the same time, this book will be good for students “on the inside,” and the text can be used as a springboard to talk about valuing differences among our peers. Once the students start sharing their stories, they find connections with each other. Readers or listeners can be challenged to find similarities with their classmates, too.
The Day You Begin would be a great read aloud for younger grades, especially towards the start of the school year. Students in the book introduce themselves to the class and share about their summer adventures, and seeing these characters connect with each other through sharing their stories, even when it’s scary, could serve as a model for young students. As stated earlier, the book could also help guide discussions about valuing the differences among students instead of seeing those differences as hindrances. This book can also be used in upper grades as part of a unit on analyzing a writer’s choices. The book can be read to the class and the choices made by the author and illustrator can be discussed. A sample analysis can be shared with students. Students can then choose their own children’s books to analyze, leaning on the group discussion and sample analysis to guide their own analyses.
Woodson, J. (2018). The Day You Begin. Il. by Rafael Lopez. Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.
The setting is a school, with scenes taking place in classrooms, the lunchroom, and on the playground. Some scenes, though, include illustrations of what the characters are thinking about. At one point, for example, one side of the illustration shows two girls at a lunch table. The other side shows terraced rice fields, as one character remembers “that rice is the most popular food in the world.” The characters in the book display a range of backgrounds and needs. The first character we see is a young Black girl who has spent the summer babysitting her sister and reading instead of traveling like so many of her classmates. Next we are introduced to Rigoberto, who just immigrated from Venezuela. He’s very aware of the way his classmates struggle to understand his accented English. The next character is an Asian girl whose lunch of meat, kimchi and rice is a subject of curiosity for even her friend. Then there’s a young boy who is excluded from playing with the others because he’s physically not able to keep up with them. He holds a book and walks away by himself. The illustrations for this page show him enjoying the more colorful world of his book. The range of characters described in the text is supported by the beautiful illustrations. For example, the page featuring the students sharing about their travels has a colorful and fun-looking background while the character who had to stay home and babysit is against a dull, boring background. Additionally, Lopez included a ruler in many of the illustrations to emphasize the characters’ tendency to compare themselves with others. Once the characters begin to share their stories, though, the ruler no longer shows up in the illustrations.
This book can serve as a window for many students who might feel left out or different from their peers. Students who look, speak, or act differently from their peers might easily see themselves mirrored in the characters in the story. Those who feel left out because of physical or financial limitations might also identify with the characters in the book. Seeing the characters open up to their classmates and make new friends might prompt those who feel left out to try sharing their own stories. Also, the young boy who walks away from the group and enjoys his book might help those who prefer their own company to see that that’s an okay way to be, too. At the same time, this book will be good for students “on the inside,” and the text can be used as a springboard to talk about valuing differences among our peers. Once the students start sharing their stories, they find connections with each other. Readers or listeners can be challenged to find similarities with their classmates, too.
The Day You Begin would be a great read aloud for younger grades, especially towards the start of the school year. Students in the book introduce themselves to the class and share about their summer adventures, and seeing these characters connect with each other through sharing their stories, even when it’s scary, could serve as a model for young students. As stated earlier, the book could also help guide discussions about valuing the differences among students instead of seeing those differences as hindrances. This book can also be used in upper grades as part of a unit on analyzing a writer’s choices. The book can be read to the class and the choices made by the author and illustrator can be discussed. A sample analysis can be shared with students. Students can then choose their own children’s books to analyze, leaning on the group discussion and sample analysis to guide their own analyses.
Woodson, J. (2018). The Day You Begin. Il. by Rafael Lopez. Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.