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Parents' Guide to

The Class

By Jan Carr, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Relatable look at different kids getting ready for school.

The Class Poster Image

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There's a sweet, homey feel to this book as it follows 20 kids with a range of recognizable personality types as they get ready for their first day of school, some with excitement, some with jitters. Mishaps -- a broken breakfast plate, a skinned knee -- occur, but it's all in a morning's work as they arrive at school, are greeted by their smiling, open-armed teacher, and come together to form The Class.

Author Boni Ashburn's rhyme rolls easily off the tongue, and she sprinkles it with kid-friendly humor: Some kids put on "day-old underwear," some look uncomfortable in "shirts their mothers chose," and Kimberly Gee's art is similarly warm, with lots of fun visual detail -- a toothbrush holder shaped like a turtle, mismatched socks. Does your kid wake up early or sleep through the alarm? Neatly lay out school clothes or grope under the bed for stray socks? Kids of all emotional stripes will find something to identify with in this affectionate portrait of a class that welcomes all comers.

Book Details

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