Review by Booklist Review
Playing on the idea that people can feel two things at the same time, the author invents a series of portmanteaus: Afua is scared and excited, therefore "scarecited," as she anticipates the new experience of starting school. She is pleased with her "flute" outfit because it's fly and cute. She's "shurious," shy and curious, as she meets her classmates and "sadbarrassed" when the teacher pronounces her name incorrectly. Using bold, flat, saturated colors, digital brushes are employed in a sophisticated, childlike style well-suited to the story. Hand-lettered display type draws attention to Afua's heightened emotions as she embarks on her first day. The class includes children using adaptive devices, a girl wearing a head-covering, and people with a variety of skin colors and hair types. The combined-words device keeps the tone upbeat and entertaining, even as the book shares important messages about sharing feelings, making friends, and standing up for yourself when needed. Beginning-of-school and the-importance-of-names books are always in great demand, and this title is a welcome addition to the collection.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Vocab mash-ups propel this emotionally aware first-day-of-school tale. Narrator Afua, portrayed with brown skin, starts off experiencing emotions including "scarecited" ("scared and excited") and "shurious" ("shy but curious"). But roll call leads to Afua's feeling "sadbarrassed" after the teacher mispronounces their name. As the day continues, further portmanteaus from Agostini capture the child's reactions to slime-making in science and eating a mac 'n' cheese lunch. Echoing the text's emphasis on recombinatory approaches, brightly colored digital brushwork and handmade textures give Watkins's blocky artwork a collage feel. And as the school day winds down, a "bravous" feeling ("brave but nervous. My heart is pounding fast!") precedes the protagonist's correcting the teacher's earlier error--a winningly reassuring resolution in a work that focuses on emotion-naming and empowerment. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3--6. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Afua's first-day jitters can't be conveyed with a single feeling or word. Feeling "scarecited" (scared and excited), Afua wonders what school will be like. "Will I make a friend?" Afua's outfit is "flute" (fly and cute), and upon entering the classroom, the young narrator is "shurious" (shy and curious). Afua's ready to start the day until the teacher, Ms. Lane, mispronounces Afua's name. "Sadbarrassed" (sad and embarrassed), Afua wonders, "Why is my name so hard?" A classmate named Teal, noticing Afua's distress, invites the protagonist to eat lunch, and as the two race around on the playground, Teal pronounces Afua's name correctly. Inspired--and feeling "bravous" (brave and nervous)--Afua approaches Ms. Lane to correct her pronunciation (phonetic text will help young readers also say Afua's name right). The teacher's kind words leave Afua feeling "prelieved" (proud and relieved). Bold illustrations and word lettering match the high-energy excitement of the first-day-of-school setting. Agostini captures the all-too-familiar feeling of experiencing more than one emotion at a time, encourages both self-advocacy and creative self-expression, and acknowledges the power of being seen. Afua and Teal present Black; their class is diverse. The book opens with pronunciation guides for the author's and illustrator's names. A simple yet uplifting school story.(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
