Wanda's First Day

PreSchool-Grade 1–Wanda, a young witch, is nervous about her first day of school. When she enters her classroom, she notices that all of the other girls have wands and are wearing colorful dresses; Wanda has a broomstick and is wearing black. She soon realizes that she is the only witch in a school of fairies. She asks her teacher about it, and Miss Dewdrop assures her that all youngsters feel a bit uncomfortable on their first day. Wanda enjoys herself even though her projects turn out differently from those of the other children. After seeing some students from another school fly by the window (all witches with one lone fairy), Wanda again meekly questions her teacher and Miss Dewdrop reassures her that as long as she had fun, she is definitely in the right place. Readers will be pleasantly surprised when they discover that Wanda looks forward to returning the next day. The candy-colored illustrations are full of fairyland details: shiny stars, glittering fairy dust, and delicate flowers. With her frizzy hair and black dress, Wanda stands out among her neatly coifed, pastel-clad classmates. Although this book will appeal to fans of fairies and princesses, parents wishing to lessen first-day-of-school jitters may want to look elsewhere.–Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
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K-Gr. 2. After Mom packs her lunch (octopus sandwiches), Wanda flies off on her broom to Miss Dewdrop's School. Like most children on their first day in a new school, Wanda feels a little out of place. But her teacher is kind and the other girls are friendly. No one seems to notice that Wanda wears a black gown and a pointy hat and carries a broom, while the other students wear pastel dresses and tiaras, have wings, and carry wands. The wry humor of the text is amplified in the stylized, wildly colorful artwork, which appears to combine conventional drawing with digital elements. At the end of the day, a disconcerted Wanda glimpses a flock of witch students with one little fairy flying by the window. She trades places with the fairy, but she promises to return to Miss Dewdrop's. An offbeat picture book with an ambiguous ending, this offers some easy laughs as well as discussion points about differences and making one's own place. Carolyn Phelan
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