Scarecited on the First Day of School

Vocab mash-ups propel this emotionally aware first-day-of-school tale. Narrator Afua, portrayed with brown skin, starts off experiencing emotions including “scarecited” (“scared and excited”) and “shurious” (“shy but curious”). But roll call leads to Afua’s feeling “sadbarrassed” after the teacher mispronounces their name. As the day continues, further portmanteaus from Agostini capture the child’s reactions to slime-making in science and eating a mac ’n’ cheese lunch. Echoing the text’s emphasis on recombinatory approaches, brightly colored digital brushwork and handmade textures give Watkins’s blocky artwork a collage feel. And as the school day winds down, a “bravous” feeling (“brave but nervous. My heart is pounding fast!”) precedes the protagonist’s correcting the teacher’s earlier error—a winningly reassuring resolution in a work that focuses on emotion-naming and empowerment. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3–6. (June)