Chu's First Day of School
Sneezy panda conquers fitting-in fears in reassuring tale.
Parents say
Based on 2 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Neil Gaiman's Chu's First Day of School, illustrated by Adam Rex, follows the team's Chu's Day, which introduced the adorable young panda with the uncontrollable, titanic sneezes. Here, Chu's worried about whether the kids at school will be nice and if they'll like him. With humor and a bit of well-paced suspense, Chu wins them over with his explosive special talent. It's a fun, reassuring book for anyone going into kindergarten or having social anxiety about a new school or any new environment.
Community Reviews
What's the Story?
Chu, the young panda who starred in Chu's Day, is worried about what will happen on his first day of school and whether his classmates will be nice and whether they'll like him. "They will be nice," his mother reassures him. "Of course they will like you." When he gets there, things are going well until the teacher asks the students to write their names on the board and "say one thing you love to do." Jengo the giraffe likes to get things down from high places, Pablo the monkey loves to climb up things, and so on. Chu gives his name, but the chalk dust makes him sneeze so hard he blows the roof off the building and turns the class furniture upside down, which makes the kids smile. "That's what I do," he says. Then he comes home and tells his parents, "They like me. They were nice. I'm not worried anymore."
Is It Any Good?
Readers who enjoyed Chu and his explosive sneeze in Chu's Day will be happy for another Chu adventure. But there's no need to have read the first book to be tickled by CHU'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. The humor and pacing are great, and Adam Rex's illustrations are wonderfully expressive, capturing Chu's worries, sadness, and joy and the pride of other animals, from hippo to snake, as they happily show off what they do.
This is a fine book to help kids going into kindergarten, changing schools, or headed for any transition about which they're feeling social anxiety.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about starting a new school. What's fun about it? What's a little scary about it?
How do the pictures help tell the story? Did you notice something in one of the pictures that might make Chu sneeze?
Everyone in Chu's class has something he or she loves to do. What do you love to do?
Book Details
- Author: Neil Gaiman
- Illustrator: Adam Rex
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Friendship, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Harper
- Publication date: June 24, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback
- Last updated: August 22, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
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Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Calms first-day-of-kindergarten fears.
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Curious George's First Day of School
George makes school silly and fun.
-
Marco Goes to School
Bird's first day at human school is good, silly fun.
For kids who love picture books and animal stories
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