And Then Comes School

Joyful anticipation is in the air as a child observes cues that the first day of school is coming soon.

Cooler mornings, cicadas buzzing, apples ripening . . . Can shopping for school supplies be far behind? The evening before the first day means laying out your outfit, loading up your backpack, and filling a lunch box with your favorite things. When the alarm goes off, there’s Dad’s extra-special breakfast (and, of course, some picture-taking), then the feeling of bubbly excitement as you and your friends climb onto a bus, ready to see your new classroom and meet your teacher. Whether the reader is a child who is eager to return to school or a younger one trying to imagine what school is like, this upbeat and lyrical ode—the fourth in the And Then Comes series—holds sure appeal for returning students and first-timers alike.

Tom Brenner is the author of the companion picture books And Then Comes Halloween, illustrated by Holly Meade; And Then Comes Christmas, illustrated by Jana Christy; and And Then Comes Summer, illustrated by Jaime Kim. Tom Brenner lives on Vashon Island, Washington.

Jen Hill is the illustrator of numerous picture books, including Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, Spring for Sophie by Yael Werber, and Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone, as well as the middle-grade series the Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters by Kara LaReau. Jen Hill lives with her husband and cat in Brooklyn.