Francis Thomson

Columnist

I was a kid who loved school. September was an exciting time to reconnect with friends and meet a new teacher. Not to mention all those new school supplies!

However, ror some children, September can be both scary and exciting as a new school year begins. Whether kids are off to school for the first time, or in the middle grades, it is fun to share books about the experience.

In Seymour Slug Starts School, by Carey Armstrong-Ellis, young Seymour, who has just moved into a new house near the compost pile, is anxious about starting school. The night before, his Fairy Slugmother appears and reassures him that she will help him through the first day jitters. However, she is less than helpful and causes chaos in the classroom. The colorful illustrations, such as that of a rotten banana used as a slide, provide lots of humor. Although the story is predictable (Seymour gains the confidence he needs to return to school the next day) children will enjoy the amusing slug characters.

Izzy is an exuberant redhead who travels down a mountain to attend school in Robert Neubecker’s Wow! School! Excitement is created not only by Izzy’s enthusiasm but with the illustrator’s bright, bold artwork. Each two-age spread is bursting with details of the world of school.

The first one, Wow! Classroom! is a busy scene of coats, beads, blocks, books, paints and children. Wow! Lunch is a bird’s-eye view of a cafeteria table of lunch options. Children will enjoy the details of each scene, from finding Izzy to playing counting and alphabet games.

Amelia Bedelia is the protagonist and title character of a series of books written by Peggy Parish from 1963 until her death in 1988, and by her nephew Herman Parish since 1995. While previous books featured the character as an adult, in Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School she is a child. Amelia still takes everything she is told literally, resulting in amusing situations. When the bus driver says to jump off the bus, she does just that, and knocks over Mrs. O’Malley, who teaches gym. “Oh,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I’m not Jim, I’m Amelia Bedelia.” A giggle or two are guaranteed when you read Amelia Bedelia.

Bubba Begonia is a boy who desperately wants to make a good impression on his first day at a new school. But he is nervous, and when he gets nervous, he puts his finger in his nose. Gerry O’Brien’s Bubba Begonia, You’ll Be Sorry is the hilarious story of a boy who overcomes an embarrassing personal habit with the help of his equally embarrassing little sister. The black and white illustrations in this beginning chapter book add to the hilarity.

Imagine going to school where your mother is the music teacher! That is what Mallory McDonald is facing when she is starting third grade at a new school, in Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman. If things aren’t already bad enough, she gets the part of an eggplant in the fall musical. Children will relate to Mallory’s emotions and situations.

Celebrate a new school year with school stories!

n Frances Thomson is an information services supervisor at the George Mackie branch of the Fraser Valley Regional Library.