Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten (by Joseph Slate)

Here's a book that encourages reading, calms first-day-of-kindergarten fears, and delights the eyes and ears all at the same time. It's a favorite with young children, parents, and teachers alike. Catchy rhyming sentences introduce children to the school environment and to the concepts of self-reliance and respect.

Young readers will see many skills they are striving to master, such as dressing themselves and tying shoelaces, modeled by the charming animal students. Children will also see Miss Bindergarten's struggles to get ready, reinforcing a comforting sense that teachers have things in common with their students. The bright watercolor and ink illustrations entice young readers to linger over details. Children will recognize their own anxieties and excitement mirrored in the faces and antics of the characters.