Fairy's first day of school by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Sara Not

There are a lot of first day of school books, going to a new school books, and other general school books. But I've only got two (very old) books that are younger than kindergarten. Which is weird, because so many kids go to daycare and/or preschool now!

When I think of Bridget Heos, I'm more likely to think of laugh-out-loud funny (and mustaches), but this book is adorably sweet. A curly-haired fairy wakes up in a flower, ready to start school for the first time. She and the other children fly with their parents (or on the schoolbird) and have a lovely day meeting new friends, having fairy snacks, playing, and reading stories.

Of course this is an imaginative approach - preschoolers won't really expect to be able to clean up with a whisk of a wand, nap in a tree under flower petals, or tightrope walk on a spiderweb. But the general activities will be familiar and the cozy approach will comfort nervous little ones and make them giggle.

Sara Not's illustrations are adorably sweet; there are lots of colorful flowers, miniature details, and a nice variety of skin tones and body types among the fairies. The main fairy character is biracial, shown at the end with her curly-haired, darker skinned father and blonde, white fairy mother.

Verdict: A delightful addition to new school books, perfect for the littlest ones starting preschool, this fairy tale will be a delightful read at any time of the year.

ISBN: 9781328715593; Published 2018 by Clarion; Borrowed from another library in my consortium