It's Llama Llama's first day of preschool. He meets the teachers. Sees the other children. Looks at all the books and games. But then it's time for Mama to leave. And suddenly Llama Llama isn't so excited anymore. Will Mama Llama come back?
Of course she will. But before she does, the other children show Llama Llama how much fun school can be.
This book from Anna Dewdney's Llama series is a great way to help prepare your child for all the new experiences that come with their first day of school; "Meet new faces. Hear new names. See new places. Watch new games." Rhyming couplets and some repetition create a steady reading cadence that helps your child follow along. The large pictures are bursting with color and show adorable baby animals doing things your child will be familiar with, such as playing with blocks, coloring, listening to a story, and having snack time.
Your child will be able to relate to the variety of emotions Llama goes through on his first day of school from confusion and fear, to sadness and stubbornness, and eventually joy. Just like Lama, you child may have had to separate from Mama one day and missed her terribly. Be prepared for your child to ask when they will begin school like Lama, and if it will be the same as in the book. If they have already started preschool, you can ask them if they do any of the same activities as Llama and encourage them to tell their own school-related stories.
I read this book to my friend Nick when he was three. Nick said his first day of preschool was "Scary at first, but then became fun because he found the bucket of legos. I asked if he missed his mom like Llama did, but Nick said he knew she'd come back because she would miss him too much, so he wasn't worried.
--Audra