Kindergarten Rocks! [Paperback]

Katie Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 420L (What's this?)

Dexter already knows everything there is to know about kindergarten. His big sister, Jessie, told him all about it. So Dexter is not scared. Not even a little bit. But his stuffed dog, Rufus, is scared. Actually, he’s terrified. But Dexter--er, Rufus--has nothing to fear: As he’ll soon find out, kindergarten rocks!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dexter Dugan is about to start kindergarten, and his stuffed dog, Rufus, "is an eensy teensy beensy bit scared" about it. Thankfully, Dex's third-grader sister, Jessie, sees that her brother is really the scared one and sets about cheerfully reassuring her sibling: "Don't worry, kindergarten rocks," says a cartoon bubble extending from Jessie. Dex's first-person narration maintains his false bravado. "I got Jessie to help me make a list of things Rufus was scared about. I'm not worried, though," reads the text, as Jessie busily writes at a desk, a flurry of papers swirling around her ("What if my teacher is mean?" reads one page, "What if I have to go #2?" reads another). The interplay of Dex's narrative, which addresses readers directly, and his cartoon-bubble exchanges with his sister respectfully and humorously covers a new student's cornucopia of concerns. Davis's (Who Hoots?) colorfully crayoned illustrations maintain an upbeat tone, even when Dex loses Rufus in class. The buoyant vignettes of Dex enjoying himself at school will reassure even the most fearful of the pre-kindergarten set. Ages 4-6. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K–According to Dexter, he is totally calm about starting kindergarten, but his stuffed dog, Rufus, is fearful about the bus finding the way to school, getting lunch, being tagged as the only one who can't read, and getting a mean teacher. (Dexter, of course, isn't worried about anything.) His big sister, Jessie, has prepared him well and offers him some smart advice: If Rufus gets scared, just give him a hug. Upon arriving, Dexter finds that his best friend from preschool is in his class. Among other activities, he gets to write letters, cook food, and play in the school's imagination station. The library has books to borrow, and the cafeteria is exactly almost like a restaurant. In fact, Dexter is having such a great time that he forgets about his stuffed friend until he realizes that Rufus is LOST! A succession of cartoon illustrations and speech bubbles follows the large-eyed child through his first day of school. A gentle, humorous read to calm the anxiety of younger students. Pair this appealing title with Alison McGhee's Countdown to Kindergarten (Harcourt, 2002).–Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; 1 edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152064680
• ISBN-13: 978-0152064686
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Experiences
  • #94 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > School

More About the Author

Children's author/illustrator Katie Davis has published ten books, nine of them for children and one for adults, an eBook, How to Promote Your Children's Book: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets to Create a Bestseller. She appears monthly on the ABC affiliate show, Good Morning CT, recommending great books for kids.

Katie produces a podcast, Brain Burps About Books; she writes a blog and monthly newsletter; and has designed and hosted webinars, all in an effort to "spread the gospel of kidlit."

The book trailer Katie created for Little Chicken's Big Day was a finalist for a Moby award, and both her trailer for Kindergarten Rocks!, and Little Chicken's Big Day were finalists (in a field of four!) for a School Library Journal Trailee Award, with the latter winning!

Katie has served as a Cybils judge multiple times, and has also judged the Golden Kite, smartwriters.com. Katie has taught in a maximum security prison teaching Writing for Children and over the last dozen years has presented and keynoted at schools, writing conferences, and fundraising galas.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Start school without the jitters August 18, 2005

By Toes

Format:Hardcover

Kindergarten does rock and this book will help ease the nerves of a kindergartener to be. Dexter voices his fears about kindergarten while his older sister reassures him that everything will be fine. After a great day at school, he decides she's right, kindergarten rocks. Readers get to see some of the fun things Dex does at school while watching his fears disappear along the way. A great help for kids who want to know what to expect in kindergarten.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book August 9, 2006

By K. Brown

Format:Hardcover

With my grandson starting kindergarten in a few short weeks, we suddenly realized he didn't even know what it was! We hurried and bought this book, as well as a few others. This is the best book that we got. I like how the little boy gets to ask all his questions he is worried about. How he is a little bit afraid. And how his big sister helps him. The pictures are really fun and it is enjoyable to read outloud as well as to look at. It helped us open up some discussion with my grandson too. And I expect he will also be able to come home from his first day and say, "Kindergarten Rocks!"

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute book August 30, 2006

By Chuckiezoo

Format:Hardcover

My 5 year old son loved this book before starting kindergarten this year and still loves to read it. He really related to the story since he had the same apprehensions and fears about kindergarten as the boy in the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for your rising kindergartner June 7, 2008

By Joanna Berry

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought Kindergarten Rocks! as a present for my nephew who is starting kindergarten in the fall. He was feeling a little anxiety, especially since he is an only child and has not seen an older sibling start kindergarten. The book is lighthearted and fun and the perfect way to give an only or oldest child some older-sibing advice about the big day. My nephew reads the book every night and he has also taken it to preschool show-and-tell to show all the kids that Kindergarten Rocks! I also got Welcome to Kindergarten, which is a fine book, but would be my second choice. For any anxious parents, I'd recommend The Mommy's and Daddy's Guide to Kindergarten, which my sister now reads every night before bed too :-)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it July 18, 2007

By K. Fallen

Format:Hardcover

I have a rising kindergartener and he loves this book, as does my 4 yr old.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars read before fist day of kindergarten November 11, 2010

By annie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Helped my nervous going into kindergarten 4.5 year old. Touched all the points and got her excited about the first day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book! July 29, 2010

By RRL

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I checked this book out of the library last year before my daughter started Kindergarten. It was such a hit with all three of my children, I bought it for our house and for some friend's children before they started Kindergarten. There are memorable phrases so the children can participate in the story telling, even before they can read. Great book for kindergarten and beyond!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book to purchase before kindergarten September 22, 2010

By Succotash

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This a great book for a kindergartner who may be a little anxious about starting school for the first time. It's about a boy who expresses his fears through his stuffed dog, who joins him on his first day. Once he gets there, he realizes school is actually nothing to be scared of and meets lots of helpful people. The images are bright and large. All in all, a good book to read together before kindergarten starts.