Little Cliff's First Day of School is a relatable story about Cliff being apprehensive about starting school for the first time.
As a mentor text, I feel like this book would be a good way of explaining dialogue and how to write it. There are a lot of quoted lines that the characters of the book say, and this could be a good example of how to use it. Also, there is plenty of punctuation to demonstrate how to properly use it in a story.
I feel like the emotion of being nervous over the start of school is relatable because even as an adult if I am starting something new, I am usually apprehensive and fearful of a new beginning. And the fear of starting school would be a familiar emotion with young readers, and could really help show that what they feel is common. But like what is shown in the story, our fear of the unknown is usually worse than the actual situation. Cliff was saying goodbye to everything he enjoyed at home because he thought all he could do now is work. When he gets to school, he sees all of his friends and some family and realizes there is fun to be had at school. The illustrations in Little Cliff's First Day of School are really beautiful and expressive, really helping us see Cliff's point of view. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and would recommend it. ( )

In this book Cliff is suffering the uncertainty of leaving the comfort of home to go off to school. He has many fears of how school hard but soon realizes it's going to be awesome. This would be a very good book for Pre-K and kindergarten first days. ( )

Another great book for a child's very first day of school. Great illustrator!

This second of three autobiographical picture-books - preceded by Little Cliff and the Porch People, followed by Little Cliff and the Cold Place - set in the Mississippi Delta of the 1950s, addresses itself to a classic childhood experience: the first day of school, and the complicated (and often negative) feelings that it evokes in young children, as they approach it. Convinced that going to school will mean saying goodbye to all his toys, to all fun and play, Little Cliff tries to resist the process, to resist his loving great-grandparents. But Poppa Joe and Mama Pearl - thrilled and proud, as the big day approaches - are just as determined that he attend...

As with Little Cliff and the Porch People, I really enjoyed the sense of community that Taulbert evokes, particularly as this time the community involved other children! Little Cliff's First Day of School is set in a specific time and place, and offers a portrait of a specific community, but it also has relevance for any child who has felt reluctant to attend school. I appreciated the depiction of Mama Pearl and Poppa Joe's relationship with Little Cliff here, as it was both loving and strict, and felt (based upon my own observations, growing up, of my African-American friends' families) very genuine. All in all, an appealing follow-up to the first Little Cliff book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for back-to-school titles, particularly those with a Southern, African-American sensibility! ( )

A moving memoir. Cliff is suffering the uncertainty of leaving the comforts and pleasures of home to go off to school. Although his loving and thoughtful great-grandparents do their best to prepare and reassure him, he is adamant that school will be all work and no play. Eventually Cliff and his Mama Pearl arrive at school and Cliff delights in his discovery while Mama Pearl becomes teary eyed and sentimental. ( )