My Friend is a Dinosaur - Michael's First Day of School

Detailed Summary

Summer is over and five year old Michael is preparing to go to his first day of school. Happy and excited as only a child could be, it is all Michael can do to contain his joy. Finally, he is going to school! He knows he will soon be playing with his new friends. But for Michael the joy fades the moment he takes his seat in the classroom and realizes that everyone is talking to everyone else- except to him. Saddened and incredibly alone, he finds a small dinosaur lying on the floor. Michael feels an immediate attraction and soon he discovers that it is alive. The dinosaur quickly becomes Michael’s first friend, making his transition into his new school and classroom easier. Soon the dinosaur convinces Michael to overcome his shyness and ask Timmy, the boy sitting beside him, to become his friend.

My Friend is a Dinosaur shares with us the same fears we have all experienced. For some it may have been long ago, others just the other day. Being alone is a terrible feeling, almost as bad as being afraid to reach out and talk to new people for the first time. This book teaches children that it is all right to feel out of place at first, and that in overcoming our personal fears, we are all able to settle in and make friends. In the end, the world isn’t such a bad place after all. All we have to do is say "Hi".