The Battle (Starting School Can be Scary Sometimes!)

This is a sweet and imaginative book about a little boy who faces his fear of going to school and finds a way to have fun and make friends in the process. The illustrations add to the imaginative tone and emotional appeal of the story. I love the colorful and friendly-looking ogres and dragons.

For those who are sending their children back to school this fall (or later in the year when schools reopen), it might be a scary experience for them, and this book could be a helpful tool. Please note, however, that it wasn’t written with the Coronavirus in mind. So parents will need to fill in the gaps and talk about masks and social distancing and how to have fun even when things are little different this year. For example, kids may not be able to share cupcakes with their classmates, but they can still share stories and laughter. I especially like the message that there are no monsters, or giants, or ogres here – just other children like you. Some children may need that message to help them adjust to how different everyone looks wearing masks.

*I was gifted a free PDF copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.