The Day You Begin

The Day You Begin spoke right to my heart! In my 40 years, I finally found a picture book that made me feel truly seen. Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López beautifully capture the experience of standing out and the courage it takes to share your story. Readers follow Angelina’s journey, feeling different because of her food, background, and memories. This book shows that our unique stories matter while also revealing the shared experiences that connect us all. I highly recommend it to every child and adult who’s ever felt out of place!

This is a gentle, optimistic, and realistic introduction to the challenges that can confront younger kids at a new school. Think kindergarten to second grade, perhaps third. Parents can read it to their kids to open the door to a conversation as the new school year starts (“…But Mom, what happens if…?), or during the year when problems crop up. It acknowledges problems could occur and suggests a coping strategy.It’s a great book for teachers to read to their classes, to start a conversation on acceptance.It’s versatile; it can support kids who 1) have a different skin color; 2) don’t speak English well; 3) have a disability; 4) aren’t athletic; 5) stutter; 6) are poor; 7) are either shy or too loud to cover their nervousness; 8) eat different food or have a food allergy; 9) just moved from the city/country…See where I’m heading? It’s for all kids, because everyone has something they're nervous about.I liked this book for many reasons and I couldn’t fail to notice the author is a poet. While the book is not a poem, the words flow like a river. And the pictures are colorful and friendly. Enjoy reading this with your youngsters.

Such. Great story for kids. As an adult I really enjoyed reading with my daughter!

Such a great book! Make sure you add this one to your collection of books!

I love everything about this book. I recommended to anyone interested in diversity.

The kind of book that makes you weep the first time you read it and then feel like you HAVE to read this aloud to the kids in your class, family, community. We are all unique or not quite like others--which can make us feel alone in the world UNTIL we start to share our stories, our lives with others. Then we find that we are similar in some ways to those around us or that others are open to the new world we might introduce to them.Woodson's language is beautiful (of course) -"There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.""There will be times when...""There will be times when the world feels like a place that you're standing all the way outside of...""There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you until the day you begin to share your stories."YES! Read this aloud for pure enjoyment. And then read it aloud again and pose questions for student-led conversations--questions that could also lead to writing.***Have you ever experienced a "There will be times when..."?***What does the author mean when she writes "There will be times when the world feels like a place that you're standing all the way outside of"?***Or a time when you only had your "brave self--steady as steel and ready" even though you didn't "know what you were ready for:?Rafael's illustrations are stunning. With illustrations of each child in that place at that moment (e.g., the classroom, the playground), but then also illustrations of the richness of that child's life (e.g., Rigoberto in a beautiful Venezuela, a girl seeing the world through books, etc.). You could project a two-page layout and pose questions like,***"What do you notice?"***"What do you notice as similar and different between the illustrations with Rigoberto on this page and this page?"***"Why do you think the illustrator chose to include that?"Several pages include an image of a ruler--maybe to signify that a particular scene is in the school but it also made me think about the pressure on kids to "measure up" in many ways when they are at school. Might be worth conversation with students.One more thought. Before reading aloud, ask students to make predictions based on the title. After reading this aloud, go back to the title and ask,***"What does the author mean by 'the day you begin'?" and maybe even "How can we do that right now?"

I like Jacqueline Woodson's theme for the book. I like that the story has a twist to it. I read the title and thought I knew what the book would be about. Not! It is a good read for someone who needs inspiration for a new situation.

On the first day of school it is difficult to take the first step into a new classroom. Jacqueline Woodson sympathizes with students in her new picture book The Day You Begin. Inspired by a section in her book, Brown Girl Dreaming this poetic writing will inspire those of all ages to begin sharing their story.I absolutely love the illustrations, that helps us visualize that EVERYONE can have a feeling of being different among others in a room. Diversity comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes; our skin, our hair, our experiences, our families, our clothes all make us different.What an incredible opportunity we have within the first days of school to share this message to our students to help them share their differences with their classmates. When we have courage to introduce who we really are and are kind in accepting those who are different from us; we may find commonalities to make our classrooms a safe place that we look forward to returning to everyday.

Livro lindo, com belíssimas ilustrações. Apresenta diversos cenários do período da pandemia de uma forma poética e suave.

The first day of school usually starts with the ubiquitous ice breaker question- what did you do over the summer break?! A potentially harmless question, but for children who have nowhere to go or stuck at home due to other circumstances, this can be very alienating.Angelina has spent her summer taking care of her sister. Though she has travelled far off via books, there is no real experiences to share. Similarly, Rigberto feels alienated owing to his roots and a Korean girl feels alienated owing to her non traditional food choices.This is a book of children in normal circumstances feeling alienated due to reasons not in their control. The metaphor of constantly trying to measure up to their peers is something we all grapple with.A lovely message of finding it within yourself to not let self doubt hold you down. There will be times when you feel like you are very different from the rest, but that is a good opportunity to try to share your story and find the power of your own voice and the power of your unique self.Ideal for kids aged 5+ yrs

I have bought this book thrice, once for my son and as a gift twice. It is enjoyable to read and has very many lessons. We live in the UAE among expats from many countries. This book is a great way to have conversations on diversity and different cultures.

I usually don't write reviews but I found myself tearing up reading this book to my two girls. The message of acceptance and love and strength in our differences really touched me! I love the subtle hints that we are all different but all have things in common. Absolutely beautiful boom!

Meiner Tochter gefällt das Buch super. Sie ist bilingual und versteht es sehr gut mit 5 Jahren. Tolle Message auch.