Emma's First Day of School - Federico van Lunter

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Author: Federico van Lunter

Illustrator: Federico van Lunter
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Rating: 4 stars.

A sweet little story about little Emma and how she handles her first day of school.

Emma is very excited and has woken up very early. Why? Because it is her first day of school! A new dress, a new backpack, a new lunchbox – all add to the excitement. But Emma is also jittery. To enhance her confidence, she decided to wear her favourite flamingo costume to school. Her new classmates love her costume and decide to join in the fun of dress up. But all through, Emma remembers her mother’s advice – “Just be yourself”.

Originally published in Dutch, this translated story is really cute. Aimed at 3-5 year olds, it incorporates many fun elements but still delivers the important message of being true to yourself.

The illustrations, sketched by the author himself, are outstanding and enhance the story with their bright hues and warm vibes.

Why I am not going higher in my rating:
  1. I am unsure of how to feel about Emma’s solution – wearing a bird costume to school. It worked for her in the story, but what if children reading this book get a similar idea in their heads and demand complicated costumes for day one of school? It might be tough for parents to walk out of that one.
  2. If the advice is “just be yourself”, why would you need a costume to hide under? Slightly contradictory.
Recommended to those little hearts who are taking their first steps towards school/daycare, as long as parents keep the above two points in mind.

My thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Emma's First Day of School”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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