This book arrived in our household at the perfect time, as Mr 5 started kindy this year! While he was excited to join his brothers at 'big school,' he was also a little nervous. I love that books like this can be read with children to help initiate conversation around what to expect when they go to school.
In this book, we follow the adventures of Frankie the Kindergarten dog, as she plays with her friends, learns, reads, sings and dances! A young audience will be captivated by the gentle flow of the narrative as Frankie and her friends go about their day - and reassured to see the depiction of parents/carers coming to pick the children up at the end of the school day.
Depictions of children being kind to each other, sharing, and having fun, will be immensely reassuring for a young child who might feel apprehensive about starting school, and gently highlights the importance of showing empathy and kindness to others.
I love the large text font and simple use of language, making this book perfect for emerging readers to have a go at reading for themselves, and picking out familiar sight words.
The exuberant illustrations by Marjory Gardner are full of colour and movement, with many details for young readers to explore. Mr 5 enjoyed trying to spot George the cat who is hiding on each page after stowing away in the car! I love a picture book that offers a side plot in this way, though the illustrations.
I also love that this story is based on a real kindergarten therapy dog called Frankie in North Queensland - Mr 5 was fascinated by the thought that a dog can go to school - in real life!
This book is fun, vibrant, gently reassuring, and visually appealing. It would make a wonderful storytime choice for preschoolers or kindy students who are about to or have just started school.
Thank you to the illustrator for our copy of this book, we loved it.
Published by Ford Street Publishing