First Day Jitters

by Julie Danneberg, Judy Love (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The first day of school can be scary! Get out ahead of it by giving this book to the young reader in your life before they go to school. It's a fun and friendly reminder that we all get the jitters sometimes.

THE BESTSELLING KIDS PICTURE BOOK: Calm first day of school anxiety with this classic back to school book that reminds students K-3 that everyone gets the jitters!

Ink-and-watercolor illustrations and a “funny and insightful” story make this a teacher-approved classroom read aloud (Booklist)!

Sarah Jane Hartwell has that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach—she’s nervous and doesn’t want to start a new school year. She doesn’t know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it.

With a little convincing from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly heads to class. Shy at first, she’s quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton and is reminded that everyone at school gets the jitters sometimes.

A beloved and bestselling back to school picture book, Sarah Jane’s relatable story and surprise ending will delight kindergarteners, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders who are anxious about their first day of school.

Includes a Certificate of Courage for First Day Completion and a First Day Memories Sheet!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580890540
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/01/2000
Series:	The Jitters Series , #1
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 10.38(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

As a kid, when Julie Danneberg daydreamed or played at being grown-up, she never imagined herself as a writer. Instead she dreamed of being a famous girl reporter, a secret agent, and a teacher.

Julie Danneberg is the author of several books for children, including FIRST DAY JITTERS, FIRST YEAR LETTERS, LAST DAY BLUES, COWBOY SLIM, and FAMILY REMINDERS. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Read an Excerpt

"Sarah, dear, time to get out of bed," Mr. Hartwell said, poking his head through the bedroom doorway. "You don't want to miss the first day at your new school, do you?"

Editorial Reviews

You have no idea what Sarah Jane looks like until the very last page of the whimsical book, which suddenly delivers a sly and funny twist: Sarah Jane's the teacher.

Newsweek

"Every child who has moved to a new school or is simply reluctant to start a school year can identify with this wittily drawn and suspensefully told story. From the moment she awakens on the fateful day to the moment she steps into the classroom, Sarah Hartwell imagines the worst. Love's ink-and-watercolor illustrations add humor to Sarah's fears, which range from bratty kids to a police search when she doesn't show up. Mr. Hartwell's reassurances don't seem to be much help. The pictures mirror the jangled nerves and outsize expectations (the double-page spread of a looming, prisonlike school is priceless) everyone faces when they are new, all of which leads to a nifty surprise ending that is a delight. Funny and insightful."—Booklist

"First Day Jitters which was written by Julie Danneberg and illustrated by Judy Love, makes a great companion book to Wemberly Worried. In the opening pages, we meet a certain Sarah Jane Hartwell, who's in the midst of her own first-day-of-school-related panic attack. Sarah Jane is buried under her covers so far that you can't even see her face. In fact, you have no idea what she looks like until the very last page of the whimsical book, which suddenly delivers a sly and funny twist..."—Newsweek

From the Publisher