First Day of School in Chad

Rain School written and illustrated by James Rumford

The children of Chad rush to the first day of school, excited to learn their letters and to receive notebooks and pencils, to sit at desks. When they arrive, however, they find only their teacher. Their first lesson will be building the school itself. Slowly it forms out of dried mud bricks and thatched grass roofing, with mud desks and wooden stools. Finally Teacher shows them the letter A, applauding their learning and encouraging them each step of the way. At the end of the school year, nine months later, the rains come and melt the school down again, ready to be rebuilt by the children at the start of the next year.

Beautiful crayon and watercolor illustrations cover each spread, showing active children building, learning, and walking to school. Rumford uses many earth tones and warm colors, drawing the reader into the scene. On the last page is a geographical map of Africa as well as a population count and physical size.

Though this book does not stand as an educational tool on Chad, it opens a

 potential window of understanding that kids everywhere, just like you and me, go to school, even if they do it in a slightly different way. Very beautiful, simple, and elegant--personally, I'm going to have to find a space in my collection for this one.

-Jenny

Age 4-8

Copyright February 2011

ISBN: 9780547243078
Available as an eBook

Image from www.goodreads.com