Butterflies on the First Day of School

The first day of school is exciting—but it can be scary, too! Meet Rosie, a brand-new student who just happens to have butterflies in her stomach.
 
“Silvestro and Chen take a common figure of speech and transform it, literally, into a lovely expression of a universal experience.” —Kirkus
“A cheering first-day story.” —Publishers Weekly

Rosie can’t wait to start kindergarten—she’s had her pencils sharpened and her backpack ready for weeks. But suddenly, on the night before the big day, her tummy hurts. Rosie’s mom reassures her that it’s just butterflies in her belly, and she’ll feel better soon. Much to Rosie’s surprise, when she says hello to a new friend on the bus, a butterfly flies out of her mouth! As the day goes on, Rosie frees all her butterflies, and even helps another shy student let go of hers, too.

Annie Silvestro is the author of Mice Skating (Sterling) and Bunny’s Book Club (Doubleday). She also works as a consultant in her family’s finance business and serves on the board for Seas It, a cancer charity that promotes recovery through recreation. She is currently a Volunteer Coordinator for the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Annie resides in Rumson, NJ, with her husband and two sons. Learn more about her at anniesilvestro.com.

Dream (Mengqian) Chen received her BFA in animation at Communication University of China and completed her MFA in visual art at the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design. She has experimented with photography, stop-motion animation, print making, illustration, paper making, and book making. See more of Dream's work at dreamchen.org.