THE BESTSELLING KIDS PICTURE BOOK: Calm first day of school anxiety with this classic back to school book that reminds students K-3 that everyone gets the jitters!
Ink-and-watercolor illustrations and a “funny and insightful” story make this a teacher-approved classroom read aloud (Booklist)!
Sarah Jane Hartwell has that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach—she’s nervous and doesn’t want to start a new school year. She doesn’t know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it.
With a little convincing from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly heads to class. Shy at first, she’s quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton and is reminded that
everyone at school gets the jitters sometimes.
A beloved and bestselling back to school picture book, Sarah Jane’s relatable story and surprise ending will delight kindergarteners, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders who are anxious about their first day of school.
Includes a Certificate of Courage for First Day Completion and a First Day Memories Sheet!
On sale: February 1, 2000
Age: 5-8 years
Grade: Grades K-3
Page count: 32 Pages
ISBN: 9781580890618
Reading level: Lexile: 210L | Fountas/Pinnell: J
As a kid, when Julie Danneberg daydreamed or played at being grown-up, she never imagined herself as a writer. Instead she dreamed of being a famous girl reporter, a secret agent, and a teacher.
As an adult, she is a former middle-school teacher and the author of the bestselling Jitters series, including
First Day Jitters and
Last Day Blues. She lives in Colorado.
"Every child who has moved to a new school or is simply reluctant to start a school year can identify with this wittily drawn and suspensefully told story. From the moment she awakens on the fateful day to the moment she steps into the classroom, Sarah Hartwell imagines the worst. Love's ink-and-watercolor illustrations add humor to Sarah's fears, which range from bratty kids to a police search when she doesn't show up. Mr. Hartwell's reassurances don't seem to be much help. The pictures mirror the jangled nerves and outsize expectations (the double-page spread of a looming, prisonlike school is priceless) everyone faces when they are new, all of which leads to a nifty surprise ending that is a delight. Funny and insightful."
—Booklist
"
First Day Jitters which was written by Julie Danneberg and illustrated by Judy Love, makes a great companion book to
Wemberly Worried. In the opening pages, we meet a certain Sarah Jane Hartwell, who's in the midst of her own first-day-of-school-related panic attack. Sarah Jane is buried under her covers so far that you can't even see her face. In fact, you have no idea what she looks like until the very last page of the whimsical book, which suddenly delivers a sly and funny twist..."
—Newsweek
