Upon looking at the cover of this book, I thought it would be a great book to keep in the classroom for the beginning of school. However, I felt that it was a bit outdated and juvenile for a child entering the first grade. The book was repetitive and certain lines were repeated throughout the book. Personally, I don't find books of that nature to be particularly engaging, and I find it more difficult to read them to a group of students while being engaged. I think that it introduces first grade activities in a great way, but the book lacks innovation. ( )

Using the classic Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, as an inspiration, author Tish Rabe explores the fun things a new student can do during the first twelve days of first grade. From telling the time to leading the line, from performing in a play to building things with clay, as the narrator here concludes, first grade is lots of fun...

Apparently the second book in which Rabe has used The Twelve Days of Christmas to create a text exploring the first day of a new school year - that initial title was On the First Day of Kindergarten - On the First Day of First Grade was somewhat less than impressive. I found the text awkward, and rather forced. It didn't read particularly well, and although I attempted to follow along using the tune of the carol, it didn't quite work. Although I realize that the idea here is to highlight fun activities a child in first grade might enjoy, I also had to wonder at a text in which a play is put on the eighth day of school. The artwork by Sarah Jennings is colorful, and features a diverse cast of children, but leaving that aside, there really isn't much here that I would recommend. There are far better "first day of school" books, from Ryan Higgins' humorous We Don't Eat Our Classmates to Alyssa Satin Capucilli's sweeter Not This Bear: A First Day of School Story. I would recommend that potential readers track down those titles instead. ( )