Chu's First Day of School by Neil Gaiman & Adam Rex

Earlier this year in a Literary Celebrity Guest Review, Elissa Brent Weissman reviewed the charming Chu's Day, written by Neil Gaiman and brilliantly illustrated by  Adam Rex. Now, just in time for fall, Chu is back and headed to school in Chu's First Day of School!

Chu is nervous. School is starting and he worries whether the other students will like him and what will happen. His mother and father reassure him, but he is still apprehensive. The teacher has a friendly face and she wants to get to know the class by having each student said his or her name and tell the class "one thing that you love to do."

If you have read Chu's Day, then you know, as the first lines of Chu's First Day of School inform us, there is a "thing that Chu could do." As with all the illustrations in this book and in Chu's Day, Rex adds a layer of depth to the story with his richly textured, detailed illustrations that really make the both books. The first page of Chu's First Day of School shows Chu leaving the scene of his latest sneeze-induced disaster, the flowery field across the street from the school. 

The anticipation and suspense for the sneeze that we all know is coming builds as each new student shares in front of the class, shy Chu hanging back. When the inevitable finally happens, Chu's relief is palpable and the laughs that are sure to follow are priceless, whether they relieve first-day-fears or not.

Source: Review Copy