Sometimes We Fall by Randall de Sève, illustrated by Kate Gardiner (Random House Studio, 40 pages, ages 3-8). A young bear looks worriedly at his mother enjoying plums up in a tree. “What if I try and I miss?” asks the cub as he contemplates leaping. “Sometimes we try and we miss. It’s okay,” his mother reassures him. This pattern repeats as the cub starts climbing the tree, voicing his anxieties, which are soothed by his mother. Finally, he crawls out onto a branch for the plum, the branch breaks, and the worst happens: he falls. But it really is okay, because the plum falls too, and one taste is enough to motivate the cub to try again. An excellent lesson for preschoolers or kindergarteners about persevering. The mother is a good model for letting her child try and fail and try again, and as a bonus, both bears are adorable.
We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). When something crashes outside Mr. and Mrs. Li’s house one night, Mr. Li investigates and finds three strange creatures. “We are DEFINITELY human,” they tell him, despite evidence to the contrary. Mr. Li is a kind human, and he gives the creatures a place to sleep and a promise that he’ll help them repair their vehicle in the morning. When morning comes, the Lis take the visitors into town, where other kind humans help them get what they need. Before long, there’s a party at the Lis’ house, and Mr. and Mrs. Li explain about food and dancing to the creatures. Finally, the “car” is fixed, and the creatures head off to space. “But wherever they went, they would remember kind humans and do what kind humans do–offer help to those in need.” A fun way to start classroom discussions about kindness and community while keeping things light. For an out-of-this-world theme, you could follow up with reading Dalmartian and/or The First Week of School.
Round and Round the Year We Go by Carter Higgins (Neal Porter Books, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Rhyming text and collage illustrations take readers month by month through the year. Pages inserted after February, May, August, and November introduce the change of seasons (with the name of the season in a bold font) with a simple rhyme, “rainy waiting/shady spring/round and round the year we swing.” A final two page spread summarizes the year: “some things change/and some do not/let’s play with all the time we’ve got/summer, spring, and winter, fall/round and round for one and all.” Reminiscent of an Eric Carle book, but with catchier text, using collage illustrations to introduce a concept. Although it’s the calendar year and not the school year, this would be a nice book to share with kindergarteners or first graders in the early days of school.
I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon (Dial Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). The title of the book is also Jack’s first attempt at a note apologizing to Zoe for knocking over her block castle. Made up entirely of the drafts Jack writes with his teacher’s coaching, the story traces Jack’s gradual movement from an angry “I’m sorry,” to a more nuanced explanation of his behavior (a couple of other boys told him castles were for girls, so he didn’t get to help Zoe build hers). A few pages from the end, Jack finally gets his apology right and hands the note to Zoe. Zoe responds with one of her own, and by the last page, the two friends are working on a new castle together. Perfect for starting discussions about what makes a real apology, the letters and illustrations also capture the kids’ emotions and show how a teacher can make a difference in helping them sort out and express their feelings.