What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School

Reviewer's Bookwatch, Feb, 2005 by Lynne Marie Pisano

What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School

Toby Forward

Illustrated by Carol Thompson

Clarion

c/o Houghton Mifflin Company

215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003

www.hougtonmifflinbooks.com Ages 4--8

ISBN 061849586X $15.00 29 pp.

This charming concept book for pre-schoolers/kindergarteners begins its telling as early as the binding, with anxious illustrations of children and their parents rushing off to school. Who could not get caught up in the fun and frenzy of this exciting day?

What Did You Do Today? The First Day of School is one little boy's tale of this life changing experience, as told to his mother. On the left side of the double-page spreads, our brave hero expresses his thoughts about his day in pictures and simple text. On the right side, illustrations depict his mother's day. This results in a clever comparison of the two as they do their work and still find time to think about each other!

The story is endearing, the watercolor illustrations darling. What a wonderful way to teach children about what their first day of school will be like, while reinforcing that it's okay to miss their mother (who will be missing them too).