The Last Day of Kindergarten

Today is the last day of kindergarten. I wish it were the FIRST. Then I’d meet Mrs. Popinski all over again. A little girl is sad that kindergarten is coming to an end. She wishes it were the first day again, when everything was exciting and new and there was such a fun year ahead. But then she realizes that graduating is exciting, too, and maybe first grade won’t be so bad, after all! Bright mixed-media artwork is a perfect complement to the text.

Author Nancy Loewen has published more than 100 books for children. She has a B.A. in English and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Hamline University, St. Paul. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, two children, two cats, a chubby beagle, and an even chubbier guinea pig, who likes to nibble on her toes while she writes.

Illustrator Sachiko Yoshikawa moved to San Francisco from Japan in 1988 to study art. Her initial interest in art was jewelry making and then, gradually, graphic design. Later she branched out into mixed media and began creating narrative illustration. Currently, she enjoys creating whimsical and vibrant illustrations using collage and mixed media such as balsa wood, as well as with traditional techniques. Much of her work has been inspired by living and traveling in the United States and abroad. She has lived in Tokyo, California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington and currently, in Wisconsin. She has also lived in Uganda, in East Africa, where she had a group show with local artists at the Uganda National Museum. She has illustrated numerous books for young readers, such as Beach is to Fun, (named Best Children’s book of the Year by the Bank Street College of Education) and What is Science? (a finalist in the Children’s Science Picture Book category of the 2007 SB&F Prize).