First day jitters

Vacation is over. Many schools across the country opened this week. All will start within the next week or so.

Whatever kind of school children attend, no matter what grade they’re in, the first day is the first day — always a source of nervousness and excitement.

I remember posing for photographs my mother insisted on taking every first day of school. My sister and I are in the same dorky pose — hand up in a wave, walking toward the sidewalk in fresh school clothes.

Obviously we changed as we grew up over the years (our mother continued this tradition through high school!) but one thing remained constant. That was the look of controlled terror, hope, thrill, or anticipation in varying degrees over time.

No matter, children have concerns. Maybe they’re like Wemberly in Wemberly Worried (opens in a new window) (Greenwillow), afraid of everything.

Or children could get ready in as many different ways as those in Miss Bindergarten’s (opens in a new window) kindergarten class (Puffin).

A day might be just like Vera’s First Day of School (opens in a new window) (Owlet) — excitement followed by minor disaster but with a fine ending with lots of support. Or it could be just the opposite; starting out unhappily but winding up better than expected like Little Cliff’s First Day of School (opens in a new window) (Puffin).

No matter what the response or how you look at it, it’s here: the start of a new school year. And kids everywhere are figuring out how to deal with the jitters.

These and other books to remind readers of common concerns, sometimes make readers feel better about their own, and sometimes even ally fears. But these are also good stories worth sharing particularly at this time of year.