From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Summer is over, and Ben has no interest in beginning second grade, no matter what assurances his parents offer. Big sister Hannah is full of disastrous memories and predictions. According to her, Ben will probably not know the answers to questions in class and might fall asleep on the bus, missing his stop. A lovely tug-of-war proceeds between his parents' support and his sibling's taunts. The first day turns out fine, though, and it's Hannah who nearly sleeps through their bus stop. Russo's gouache paintings are flat, yet full of expression and humor. Strong, full, bold colors, with rusts and oranges dominating, fill the pages; even though the style is spare, the details ring true. Character, emotion, and expression come through best of all. Russo masterfully combines funny, real family relationships with kindness and experience in overcoming fears. An all-around superior picture book.
Jacqueline Elsner, Athens Regional Library, GACopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 4-7. With humor and sympathy, this picture book dramatizes a child's panic about going back to school after summer vacation. What if the bus driver misses Ben's stop on the way home? What if no one remembers Ben at school? What if the teacher asks him a really hard question, and he doesn't know the answer? All Ben's fears are intensified by his big sister, Hannah, who tells him disaster stories about what could happen. Of course, things turn out well. His second-grade teacher proves kind and interesting, Ben settles in, and it's Hannah who falls asleep on the bus and has to be awakened for her stop. Russo's simple, expressive gouache paintings in bright opaque colors set the story in a cheerful suburban neighborhood. Kids will recognize the fear and the relief, and they'll laugh at the obnoxious, older know-it-all.
Hazel Rochman
