For many kids, starting school can be a scary and anxiety-provoking experience. Whether it be beginning school for the first time in their life, or starting a new year with a different teacher and classmates, many worries and fears pop up in the weeks and days leading to it.
This story addresses the common worries that children might have, including missing their family, not understanding the schoolwork, forgetting their supplies, or not having anyone to play with at recess.
It also offers creative strategies and coping methods to handle these typical anxieties, from taking deep breaths, wearing a special bracelet, or grounding themselves when the worry feels too big.
The end of the book features a list of these strategies along with spaces for kids to write down their own worries and their favorite coping methods to help navigate them.
Starting school can feel scary,
but it also can feel fun.
And if you feel some worry,
you're not the only one.
You can always use your tools,
when the butterflies are there.
You will have these tools forever,
and can bring them anywhere.
Laura Shiff has had a passion for writing as long as she can remember, and a love for books even longer. She is an educator, a wife, and a mother to two young boys, whose journeys through life inspired her to write social emotional books for kids. She hopes to help kiddos learn how to navigate the world and themselves, one book at a time.
Bev Johnson is an illustrator living in California with her wife and cats. She loves music, yoga, and fluffy animals. Working on books that can comfort people makes her feel happy.
"As an educator, mom of four, and someone who has anxiety herself, I cannot recommend this book enough. The story puts the reader, or student, in the main character's shoes of one who has all the feelings throughout a school day. It acknowledges not only what most children feel as they head off to school but it allows them to be heard. As a teacher, I see this book benefiting so many of my students who have unsure feelings about starting school for the first time or even after many years. It gives them hope to return no matter what it is they are feeling. It's giving their feeling a name, and when they are able to recognize the emotion, they are able to accept it. There are also suggestions and tools to help children when they feel worried, which is a great resource to have. I would recommend this book to any teacher, caregiver, child, or friend." - Sarah Lemmer, early childhood education teacher
"This book validates and holds space for healthy child-led conversations around anxiety, worry, and stress. It even allows you to create solutions with your child and figure out how to cope through it all. I highly recommend this as a parent and a mental health professional." - Nicole, licensed K-12 school counselor & licensed professional clinical counselor
