The beginning of a new school year is a source of excitement that includes promising hopes and a bit of anxiety too. Books provide a wonderful way for youth to explore those mixed emotions.
One book that does just that is The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Rafael López. This picture book allows the reader to experience a day at school through a diverse cast of characters each of whom feel like they are different from their classmates. Those differences are as simple as hair or skin color, hair texture, native language, or lunch cuisine and more complicated things like summer vacation accomplishments and how they measure up. Yet, once the kids start sharing their stories, points of common ground emerge. The kids begin to appreciate these points of connection and the things the make each of them unique. It’s a simple but powerful message in a beautifully illustrated book that artfully depicts the thoughts and feelings of each character that they conceal from their classmates.
The library is hosting an escape room—Breakout the Superheroes—on August 16 and August 17. This event is family friendly, but success is more likely when the group includes a few middle/high school students or adults. Hourly time slots are available starting at 1:00 PM with the final time slot starting at 6:00 PM each night. Space is limited, and registration is required. Please contact the library at 920-984-3094 or stop in to sign up.