Tuesday, January 18, 2011

First Grade Jitters by Robert Quakenbush



Good Reads description:
Here is the story of a young boy who is about to enter first grade and doesn't know quite what to expect. Will his friends be there? Will he have to know how to read and spell? What if he can't understand anything his teacher says? Looks like a case of first grade jitters! Robert Quackenbush and Yan Nascimbene tell a reassuring story that is sure to chase away those jitters for any soon-to-be first grader.

Just because a child made it through kindergarten, doesn’t mean they are comfortable about moving on to first grade.  The full-page illustrations highlight this common anxiety felt by many soon to be first graders. I especially liked how Aidan’s dog and teddy bear mirror his worries throughout the book.  And like all good first day jitters type books, this one has an easy happy ending.  This is a great gift for the new first grader in your life and a good addition to any collection on first day jitters.

Recommended for Kindergarten through 1st Grade.

Mrs. Archer’s rating: 4 of 5

2 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs. Archer,

    Please accept my deepest thanks and appreciation for your kind and generous review of First Grade Jitters, a story I wrote about my son's adventures one summer when he was six years old. The book was originally published with my illustrations thirty years ago and because it has been so popular with parents and teachers and children for so many years, HarperCollins Children's decided to publish this brand new edition with illustrations by Yan Nasimbene, who resides in Paris. I couldn't be happier with the new edition and the delightful illustrations by Yan Nacembene because he portrayed his own experience and the locale where he lives in his interpretation of the story. It is though two little boys, my young son at age six, who was raised in a high rise in New York City, and the artist's young son today, who lives in the suburbs of Paris, are telling the story together and it is very moving to me because it lifts the story into a new experience to be enjoyed by new generation. That is why I am so happy to know how much you like this new 30th anniversary edition of First Grade Jitters.

    Thank you again.

    Best wishes to you and your continued success with Mrs. Archer's Book Notes.

    Sincerely,

    Robert Quackenbush

    P.S.You might like to know that I found out about your review from a well-known educator and film producer from Montreal, Canada, Gordon Martin of Gordon Martin Associates, who saw your review and placed in on my Facebook.

    E-mail: Rqstudios@aol.com
    Web site: www.rquackenbush.com
    Blog: robertquackenbushstudios.blogspot.com
    Facebook:Robert Quackenbush, Robert uackenbush Studios, and Robert Quackenbush Fan Page.

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  2. Dear Mrs. Archer,

    Please accept my deepest thanks and appreciation for your very kind and generous review of First Grade Jitters. The story is about my son's adventures one summer when he was six years old. It was published with my illustrations thirty years ago. Because it has been a popular book with parents, teachers, and children for so many years, HarperCollins Children's Books decided to publish this brand new edition of the story with illustrations by Yan Nacimbene, who resides in Paris, France. I couldn't be happier with the newly illustrated edition of my story because it has lifted it to a new experience. It is though two boys, my son at age six, who was raised in a high rise in New York, and a six year old boy from the suburbs of Paris are now telling the story to a new generation of children, which is truly exciting and moving to me.
    Thank you again for your review. You might like to know that I found it on my Facebook page titled Robert Quackenbush. It was placed there by a well-known educator and film producer from Montreal, Canada, Gordon Martin of Gordon Martin Associates, whom I have known for many years. He launched the animated film series, based on my Miss Mallard Mysteries for young readers, which are showing in 70 countries around the world. For the enjoyment of your students, episodes can be seen on Jaroo.com.

    With best wishes,

    Robert Quackenbush

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