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The rhyming lyrics follow a sad-looking little girl with light brown skin and fluffy dark brown hair as she battles "butterflies in her stomach" on her first day. Her mom and dad try to help her calm down, but nothing helps, until her mother encourages her to embrace the butterflies and be excited about trying something new. Tiny, glowing butterflies erupt into a jungle of color and light in and around the child until the last page shows her happily settled in at school with clouds of butterflies around her and her classmates.
The text is loosely rhyming, but clearly taken from the lyrics of a song. There is a lot of white space in the illustrations, with a rather bare house, wide roads, and spacious sidewalks. There is a diversity of skin tones but not of body shapes - the few people scattered around in the community and school scenes are all the same, varying only in height, and there are no visible disabilities. As in most books in a school setting, only a few children are pictured.
The colors are fresh and bright and the story focuses closely on the unnamed little girl who is the center of the story, with her stylish mother as her guide - the father appears only briefly in the morning and it is her mother who is taking her to school and giving her advice. I was a little surprised there was no link to the original song, but it's easily discoverable online.
Verdict: Although it's not perfect - I would have liked to see more variation in body types, a more realistic (i.e. crowded) school and community setting, and more involvement of the father, this is a very positive way for kids to rethink their worries about starting something new, not just first days at school. A strong addition to any library collection with books featuring social-emotional learning.
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