Butterflies on the First Day of School

by Annie Silvestro (Author) Dream Chen (Illustrator)

Butterflies on the First Day of School
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

The first day of school is exciting--but it can be scary, too! Meet Rosie, a brand-new student who just happens to have butterflies in her stomach.

Rosie can't wait to start kindergarten--she's had her pencils sharpened and her backpack ready for weeks. But suddenly, on the night before the big day, her tummy hurts. Rosie's mom reassures her that it's just butterflies in her belly, and she'll feel better soon. Much to Rosie's surprise, when she says hello to a new friend on the bus, a butterfly flies out of her mouth! As the day goes on, Rosie frees all her butterflies, and even helps another shy student let go of hers, too.

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Publishers Weekly

Silvestro (The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains) puts a fanciful spin on a familiar metaphor in this tale about a girl who's impatient to start school. Rosie diligently practices classroom skills, including hand raising, but her confidence vanishes on her first day, and she insists she doesn't feel well. She's puzzled when her mother tells her she has butterflies in her stomach, but while chatting to a friendly girl on the school bus, Rosie finally understands when butterflies (seemingly visible only to her) flutter from her mouth. Throughout the morning, "butterflies rumbled in Rosie's belly" and occasionally slip out, but by recess she feels fine and reaches out to a forlorn classmate standing alone--whose own butterflies escape. Animator Chen uses bold crayon hues to invigorate her renderings of Rosie's changeable emotions and to showcase a striking kaleidoscope of butterflies. A cheering first-day story. Ages 3-up. (May)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

PreS-Gr 2—What happens to all those butterflies in your stomach? Rosie is excited and ready for her first day of school. She picked out her backpack over a month ago, decorated it herself, and even practiced raising her hand at home. However, the night before the first day, she cannot sleep. The next morning her belly hurts and she cannot even eat her breakfast. Her mother reassures her, "You just have butterflies in your belly" and hugs her tight. Once on the bus, she quickly makes a new friend, and a butterfly flies out while she's talking. Her new friend doesn't seem to notice, and as they continue to talk, more butterflies flutter out. Throughout the day, the butterflies, unnoticed by everyone else, fly out of her mouth. Rosie's belly begins to feel much better. At recess, she even helps a fellow student get a butterfly out of her belly by saying hello. Rosie's mom has a butterfly of her own fly out once she realizes that Rosie had a great first day. The mixed-media illustrations match the text well, and the bright colors fit the story's theme well. VERDICT A first purchase for back-to-school shelves that will reassure both students and caregivers.—Brooke Newberry, Winding Rivers Library System, West Salem, WI

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Rosie has been looking forward to the first day of school for a month, practicing writing her letters and raising her hand. But the night before the big day, she begins to have second thoughts. 'I don't feel well, ' she says the next morning. 'You just have butterflies in your belly, ' her mother replies with a hug. And sure enough, when a girl on the school bus asks her name, a butterfly escapes from Rosie's mouth along with the answer. Rosie's trepidation about new experiences tugs on readers' hearts, but as the butterflies that only she can see are released every time she participates in class, her expressions grow more confident and joyful. Finally, Rosie uses her new confidence to help another classmate who looks like she has a belly full of butterflies as well. Colorful illustrations depict children of varying skin tones with surprisingly expressive round black eyes; Rosie and her family present subtly Asian. Young readers who are worried about school will find a reassuring way to put their feelings into words, and the warm ending gives a wink to caregivers who may also find themselves feeling nervous about the first day of school. Silvestro and Chen take a common figure of speech and transform it, literally, into a lovely expression of a universal experience." —Kirkus

"Silvestro (The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains) puts a fanciful spin on a familiar metaphor in this tale about a girl who's impatient to start school. Rosie diligently practices classroom skills, including hand raising, but her confidence vanishes on her first day, and she insists she doesn't feel well. She's puzzled when her mother tells her she has butterflies in her stomach, but while chatting to a friendly girl on the school bus, Rosie finally understands when butterflies (seemingly visible only to her) flutter from her mouth. Throughout the morning, 'butterflies rumbled in Rosie's belly' and occasionally slip out, but by recess she feels fine and reaches out to a forlorn classmate standing alone—whose own butterflies escape. Animator Chen uses bold crayon hues to invigorate her renderings of Rosie's changeable emotions and to showcase a striking kaleidoscope of butterflies. A cheering first-day story." —Publishers Weekly

"What happens to all those butterflies in your stomach? Rosie is excited and ready for her first day of school. She picked out her backpack over a month ago, decorated it herself, and even practiced raising her hand at home. However, the night before the first day, she cannot sleep. The next morning her belly hurts and she cannot even eat her breakfast. Her mother reassures her, 'You just have butterflies in your belly' and hugs her tight. Once on the bus, she quickly makes a new friend, and a butterfly flies out while she's talking. Her new friend doesn't seem to notice, and as they continue to talk, more butterflies flutter out. Throughout the day, the butterflies, unnoticed by everyone else, fly out of her mouth. Rosie's belly begins to feel much better. At recess, she even helps a fellow student get a butterfly out of her belly by saying hello. Rosie's mom has a butterfly of her own fly out once she realizes that Rosie had a great first day. The mixed-media illustrations match the text well, and the bright colors fit the story's theme well. VERDICT A first purchase for back-to-school shelves that will reassure both students and caregivers." —School Library Journal (Starred review)
Annie Silvestro
Annie Silvestro is the author of Bunny's Book Club (Doubleday), which Kirkus called "a sweet salute to reading." When not writing, Annie works as a consultant in her family's finance business and serves on the board for Seas It, a cancer charity that promotes recovery through recreation. She is passionate about children's literature and is currently a Volunteer Coordinator for the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She resides in Rumson, NJ, with her husband and two boys, who also love to read, and a cat who does not. Learn more about her at anniesilvestro.com.

Teagan White is a freelance illustrator specializing in intricate drawings of flora and fauna, playful watercolors of animal characters, and illustrated typography. Her clients have included Target, Papyrus, American Greetings, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Disney Hyperion, Nike, Honda, Ford, Wired Magazine, and the Washington Post, with projects ranging from advertising and editorial to children's books, greeting cards, and textiles. Originally from Chicago, Teagan now lives and works in MN, where she received a BFA in illustration from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design in 2012. Learn more about her at teaganwhite.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781454921196
Lexile Measure
540
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Union Square Kids
Publication date
May 07, 2019
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV039090 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | New Experience
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Picture books
Butterflies
First day of school
Anxiety

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