Off to Kindergarten (by Tony Johnston)

Primary colors, flat-faced cartoons, and playful rhymes create a book that kids will enjoy, especially if they are in the early school years. It won't take long for kids to see the silliness in everything Bill wants to pack up and take with him to kindergarten.

With easy, sometimes goofy language, Tony Johnston has written a very supportive book in which she subtly, but clearly, presents a positive message that may help first-time students get out the door. Without dwelling on the negative feelings, or jitters, that some kids experience, she shows Bill going around his house and yard, packing up all of his belongings. He seems happy and no one interferes, until the very end, when his mom assures him that the teacher will take care of everything.