Move It, Miss Macintosh!

January 22, 2017

Move It, Miss Macintosh! Peggy Robbins Janousky. 2016. 32 pages. Annick Press. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.]
I wish I’d had this book when I was sending my baby off to kindergarten. It’s a cute story about a teacher who’s nervous for her first day of kindergarten, but it’s clearly a tool to ease the jitters of youngsters heading off to school.
Miss Macintosh is a ball of nerves and decides she’s not going to school on the first day. That is, until nearly every one from the school shows up to get her on her way. There’s Principal Bellwether who reminds her that other teachers shared her fears. And there’s Mrs. Sketcher, the art teacher, who tries and fails to pick out the perfect first day outfit. Even Mrs. Burger, the lunch lady, came along to make sure Miss Macintosh has a full stomach. This is the perfect story to allay the fears of children facing their first day of school or even first day at a new school. I think framing the teacher as the one with the fear can also help to decrease some worries children may have by making teachers more human and less authoritarian in young eyes.

Aside from the story itself, the book gets even more character from its illustrations. They are quirky! The bright, fun pictures that accompany the scenes are detailed without being dense. The high contrast of colors are sure to be loved by little eyes, too. Kudos to the illustrator and author for finding such a good balance among the two.

I would absolutely recommend this as a “night before school” or “early morning meltdown” read. It’s honest while normalizing jitters in a fun, assuring way.

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