I Don’t Want to Go to School

In parallel vignettes shown side by side on each spread, a gray mouse and a blue dinosaur each express trepidation about the first day of school. “I don’t want to go!” both say to themselves at home. Mouse wonders, “What if the children don’t like me?” as Dinosaur worries, “What if the teacher doesn’t like me?” But once they simultaneously arrive at school, a mutual smile and a wave signals that “I will be brave if you will be brave.” The next page reveals a surprising twist, and a wholly enjoyable kickoff to the school year for them both. Bell’s brief and emotionally on-point text will be a boon for readers with their own jitters, and Fitzgerald adds a solid dose of cheer, using bright candy colors to bring a class of big-eyed, happy-faced dinosaurs—and their newly confident mouse teacher—to life. Ages 3–7. (May)