Welcome to school! These eight stories set in and around schools are recommended for preschool and/or primary readers. For more, see the Schools -- Preschools and Schools -- Elementary schools tags in the Guide/Reviews Database. 

Give 
by Jen Arena; illus. by Rahele Jomepour Bell 
Preschool, Primary    Knopf    40 pp. 
8/23    9781524714994    $18.99 
Library ed.  9781524714482    $21.99 
e-book ed.  9781524714499    $10.99 

This story begins on the title page, where a gift-wrapped package sits on a white background. The following wordless double-page spread shows an outdoor street scene, where an adult hands the package to a child while a second child passes by. The two kids meet up on this rainy morning when one loses her hair ribbon to the wind, and the other unties the gift’s ribbon and offers it to her. “Sometimes bad things happen. / Give what you have.” This act of kindness is the first link in a chain of events throughout the school day. Each double-page spread advances the story, showing the previous recipient engaged in an act of generosity.­ The spare text clarifies that there are many kinds of gifts to give, including help, time, and attention. And that one wrapped up on the title page? It’s a box of cupcakes, a gift for everyone. Bell’s (illustrator of To Change a Planet) eye-pleasing textured illustrations feature a diverse classroom and bring liveliness to a story that works non-didactically to instill values of kindness and generosity. MAEVE VISSER KNOTH 

The First Week of School 
by Drew Beckmeyer; illus. by the author 
Primary    Atheneum    48 pp. 
6/24    9781665940429    $18.99 
e-book ed.  9781665940436    $10.99 

The cover of this back-to-school picture book appears to show an ordinary class photo, with some kids smiling, others posing, still others jostling, a frazzled teacher…and one space alien. The front endpapers and title-page spread whoosh readers far into outer space, then (on the copyright and dedication pages) back toward our upper atmosphere, then down to Earth to hover above an elementary school. “This is the first day of the first week of school,” begins the text, as a line of cars at drop-off snakes around a pleasant-looking building. Once inside, and all day Monday, we get to know a class of students by their interests and peculiarities: the Inventor, the Artist, the Sport Kings, plus the Teacher and Pat, the class-pet bearded dragon. Then on Tuesday a spaceship appears, and a new classmate — Nobody — joins the group. The story takes us through the days of the week, along with key activities (show-and-tell, recess), with readers following the characters’ simultaneous actions, which continue and build with every page-turn. The cheerfully busy crayon illustrations offer many satisfying details to notice and track. There’s lots of humor — Pat, at first alarmed, grows attached to the alien — and moments of poignancy: the Artist suffers a creative crisis that’s resolved by Nobody; a social studies lesson by the Teacher about her family’s immigrant experience makes the alien miss “his own gelatinous family” and then beam back up. It’s a quirky story with way-out details that are ultimately grounded in home. ELISSA GERSHOWITZ 

At the End of the Day 
by Lisl H. Detlefsen; illus. by Lynnor Bontigao 
Preschool, Primary    Knopf    40 pp. 
4/24    9780593378632    $19.99 
Library ed.  9780593378649    $22.99 
e-book ed.  9780593378656    $10.99 

For many children, the afterschool hours are anything but relaxing, “because now there is homework. Or a piano lesson. Or dance class.” Detlefsen and Bontigao effectively portray this frenetic time between school dismissal and bedtime in an enjoyable picture book featuring a biracial family. The dad, who may be a stay-at-home parent, oversees the three young children’s activities. Mom is in the military and joins her family via a video call in the evening, during which the kids experience the “pang of missing someone who feels too far away.” While the children may be “exhausted…or in a mood” at day’s end, there are also moments of lightheartedness. Dad and the kids enjoy taking a walk at twilight, telling knock-knock jokes, and eating bread fresh from the oven. Mom’s return home makes the family complete but doesn’t put an end to the chaos. Bontigao’s expressive digitally rendered illustrations capture the havoc surrounding the family (e.g., the dog eats a child’s homework, a vase is knocked off a table and shatters), while the text’s soothing rhythm makes for a fine bedtime story. MARVA ANNE HINTON 

The Walking School Bus 
by Aaron Friedland and Ndileka Mandela; illus. by Andrew Jackson Obol 
Primary    Greystone Kids    48 pp. 
10/23    9781771644693    $18.95 

In this story set in an (unspecified) African village, a brother and sister find a creative solution to circumstances preventing them from attending school. Baba has to leave home to work in the mines, so he cannot accompany Shaka and his younger sister, Nandi, on the long, hot walk to school. It is too dangerous for the kids to walk alone, so they have no choice but to stay home and miss school. One afternoon, while playing outside, they discover a toy school bus. Their mother’s explanation of the vehicle’s purpose stimulates Shaka’s imagination. His first two ideas (buying a bus or building one) are (unsurprisingly) unsuccessful; he is close to giving up when it occurs to both kids: “We’ll walk together like a moving bus — except there is no bus! It’s just us.” A week later, the plan having spread to neighboring villages, Shaka and Nandi lead fifteen children to school, excitedly walking and singing. Inspired by true stories, Friedland and Mandela (granddaughter of Nelson) have written an uplifting tale about the determination of global children to get an education. Obol deftly brings this story to life through colorful and expressive cartoon-ish illustrations that speak to themes of perseverance and pride. PAULETTA BROWN BRACY 

The Yellow Bus 
by Loren Long; illus. by the author 
Primary    Roaring Brook    48 pp. 
6/24    9781250903136    $19.99 
e-book ed.  9781250368034    $11.99 

Long’s poignant picture book about a school bus is a meditation on the passage of time while finding purpose in all seasons of life, in the tradition of Virginia Lee Burton. “There was once a bright yellow bus who spent her days driving” passengers (first school children, then elderly people) “from one important place to another. And they filled her with joy.” Eventually abandoned under a bridge, the bus becomes a resting spot for unhoused persons. One morning she’s towed away and left in a field near a river, where the bus becomes a playground for a herd of goats. When the river floods the valley, fish take up residence. The striking grayscale graphite- and charcoal-pencil illustrations (with “charcoal dust…scratched out with X-Acto blades and smudged with Q-tips”) feature color, done with acrylic paint, occasionally; the school-bus yellow of the protagonist is all the more eye-catching for it. Bird’s-eye views alternating with partial closeups help steer viewers’ emotions along with the narrative in witnessing and understanding the beauty of service to others. The book concludes with the story of the abandoned school bus that sparked Long’s imagination, along with his techniques for creating a 3D paper mini-town in which to place the bus as a model for his illustrations. CHRISTINA DORR 

Emergency Quarters 
by Carlos Matias; illus. by Gracey Zhang 
Primary    Tegen/HarperCollins    40 pp. 
5/24    9780063271456    $19.99 

It’s a new school year, and Ernesto, an Afro Dominican boy wearing “lucky kicks” and “his favorite Mets cap,” is finally allowed to walk the six blocks to school without his parents. Before he leaves, his mom hands him a shiny quarter “for emergencies” — to call home using a pay phone if he needs to. Throughout the week, Ernesto saves his daily coin, despite temptations to spend the change on baseball cards, cheese puffs, or games at the arcade like his friends do. Friday arrives, and the irresistible smell of a street vendor’s empanadas at the bargain price of $1.25 is well worth the expense. Matias’s story is thematically rich, serving as an early math lesson on money and savings, while the depiction of a working-class family and community is matter-of-fact and welcome. Matias’s text adeptly conveys the internal world of a child as he explores his new independence, while adhering to his mother’s loving precautions. Zhang’s ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations capture the warmth of Ernesto’s family’s apartment and pay homage to the vibrant Queens, New York, setting with such local landmarks as the 7 train and the Lemon Ice King of Corona shop. A note preceding the text gives context to payphones, quarters, and Matias’s real-life memories. Many details are snapshots of decades past, but the themes in the tender narrative are timeless. JESSICA AGUDELO 

Home in a Lunchbox 
by Cherry Mo; illus. by the author 
Primary    Penguin Workshop    40 pp. 
6/24    9780593661345    $18.99 
e-book ed.  9780593753439    $10.99 

Having recently emigrated from Hong Kong to America, young Jun starts school with a few English words and phrases (e.g., hello, thank you, I don’t know, toilet) written on her palm. Nevertheless, she faces misunderstandings and struggles to comprehend a new language and culture. At the bus stop, unable to understand a question about her name, she responds with, “Th…ank you.” Filling out a “Let’s Get to Know You” worksheet in class, she answers each question, “I don’t know.” Despite her loneliness, Jun finds solace in her lunchbox, which is filled with her favorite Chinese foods, including bao, dumplings, and bok choy. After a difficult first four days for Jun, classmate Rose makes a friendly overture at lunch on Friday, which leads to sharing food with a small group of kids. Jun invites her new friends to her home, symbolizing the beginning of new connections. With its spare text (most of which is speech-bubble dialogue), the story is primarily conveyed through Mo’s sensitively drawn, sometimes paneled illustrations, which vividly depict Jun’s emotional state. Warm colors represent her cherished memories of home and the eventual feeling of belonging; cool tones mirror her initial fear and anxiety. This debut picture book captures an immigrant experience, highlighting the impact of small gestures of kindness and celebrating the unifying power of food across cultures and languages. A glossary of written and conversational Cantonese phrases in the story and a labeled illustration of Jun’s lunchbox contents are ­helpfully appended. WEILEEN WANG 

The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent 
by Irene Vasco; illus. by Juan Palomino; trans. from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel 
Primary    Eerdmans    40 pp. 
10/23    9780802856173    $18.99 
e-book ed.  9781467467247    $18.99 

A young teacher (unnamed in the text) sets off to her remote school assignment in the Amazon armed with determination and a precious box of books. Her students warn her of the coming “great serpent” and run out of class one day; she grudgingly follows them but thinks they need to learn that legends aren’t real. When she watches the serpent of mud caused by heavy rains and a rising river sweep away the school and her books, she begins to understand why she should have taken the students seriously. Adults share with the teacher their practice of embroidering images of legends and creating cloth books, which allows them to replenish the school library and inspires the teacher to create new lessons and learn the community’s indigenous language. Straightforward prose and intentionally vague characterization present the story as a fable with encouraging lessons about the importance of cultural exchange and the power of nature. Intricate, digitally rendered spreads in shades of teal, orange, and green are filled with images that blend the natural and the legendary. MONICA DE LOS REYES 

From the July 2024 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.