Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary:  “No matter how you start your day./What you wear when you play./Or if you come from far away./All are welcome here.”  Rhyming text and busy illustrations assure a classroom full of children and their parents that all of them are welcome in the school.  The class is a veritable United Nations, with kids and adults of different races, nationalities, and religions.  The kids move through their day, reading, drawing, snacking, and playing outside.  After school, they go home to different homes and foods, but their community binds them together.  The final foldout page shows some sort of open house (maybe a science fair?) with all the parents and kids gathering for food and sharing of different school activities.  44 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Elementary teachers and librarians, if you’re looking for something new for the first day of school, this may be your book.  The rhymes are catchy and the illustrations are appealing–just about any kid is likely to find a picture of someone who looks like him/her.  There’s a lot to look at and discuss.

Cons:  Apparently this book comes with a poster under the jacket, but since I got it from the library, the poster was gone.

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