Welcome to Kindergarten

by Anne Rockwell

From beloved name in books for preschoolers Anne Rockwell comes an encouraging story that quells those first-day-of school nerves with gentleness and charm.

Join Tim as he visits his future kindergarten classroom and learns what he will be doing during his first year of school! He'll explore the reading, math, and art centers. Sit at the desk where he will practice writing, counting, and telling time. The classroom may look a little too big at first, but after finding out about all the fun ahead, it doesn't seem too big at all. In fact, it's just the right size.

Genres: School, Picture Books, Childrens, Back To School, Storytime, School Stories

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for easing kids into kindergarten; a new school with a new teacher and friends.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy visits his soon to be kindergarten classroom with his mother. He gets to explore each of the different areas he will be learning in and become acquainted with the classroom and the school. Fine for a read aloud for children headed to kindergarten. It was a little depressing for me to read personally as my son’s upcoming kindergarten year is so uncertain in the midst of a pandemic. I’d love for his kindergarten experience to mirror the one in the book but I’m not sure how similar it will be.

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the style of the illustrations, but what kindergarten is the author sending their kids to? We've had five kids go through kindergarten, and none of them had half of the stuff the author identifies in this book.

If you want to prep your kid for kindergarten, unless you're sending them to a $20K/year private school, this won't--it will only build their expectations for things they won't see.

[Kate Nichter · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Welcome to Kindergarten" is a very simple, to-the-point kind of book. I would love to read this book to my new kindergartner's or my pre-kindergarten students to give them an idea of what elementary school is like. Anne talks about the different centers and subjects that are taught and the fun things that can occur.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Intro to a kindergarten that no longer exists in the US...

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty simplistic, I don't understand why he would be visiting his new kindergarten while the older kindergarteners are still there

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an older book, and some of the ideas have aged a little bit. But still, it's a great book to read for children who are entering kindergarten.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy gives an overview of his kindergarten class.

[Christine Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Montessori, how I adore you! This book reminded me so much of what kindergarten should be: multiple opportunities for discovery through child-led inquisitiveness and an exploration of the world through a multi-sensory approach to learning. We place entirely too many demands on little people instead of letting them just be kids.

As a teacher, I can’t begin to stress the importance of centers or learning stations filled with activities to spark a young learner’s interest in academics, especially at this tender, young age. Mary Rockwell introduces a soon-to-be kindergartener to the amazing wonders waiting inside the classroom. We found this book to be both stimulating and somewhat anxiety-easing as it painted a picture for my daughter as to what she can expect her first true schooling experience to (hopefully) be like. My heart goes out to all the soon-to-be kindergarten students as many of us will be navigating a virtual kindergarten classroom in the weeks to come. Parents/guardians: read this book! I know life as we know it has become one giant sea and we are doing our best to navigate the unchartered waters. Even if you set up one or two stations to help mimic the actual physical space of a classroom and gave them some freedoms to explore and discover their own learning style and preference, it will help immensely for years to come.

[Payton Ksidakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: This book is about a little boy who is experiencing his first day at kindergarten! He gets to see everywhere he will be and what rooms he will go to when he learns different subjects. He learns about everything he will be doing and doesn’t seem to be scared, but excited for kindergarten! Throughout the book his mom is constantly telling him that it is perfect for him and everyone within the school system makes him feel comfortable.

Theme: The theme of this book is to provide comfort for children who are nervous about school. It teaches children that everything will be okay and they are in a safe and comfortable environment, and their needs will be taken care of.

Rating: I would rate this book a 4 or 5. I found it to have a lot of details about what most children will find in a Kindergarten classroom and it lays out what they will be learning. It is a good book to introduce school with.

Personal response: I was always one of the kids who would cry before my first day of school because I was always so nervous. Just like in the book, My mom or dad always had to walk me in and have the teacher show me everything we would be doing and where I would be so I felt comfortable. I feel that a lot of children have this experience going to school and this can ease them into it.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to parents and kindergarten teachers to read to the kids either before they go to school or on the first day. It would allow children to see pictures and be able to relate which could ease their nerves going into school.

[Allison DeMeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: This book is very easy to read and also is a quick read. I think it is very relatable to the actual start of kindergarten and it is important to teach the students about this experience they are about to explore.

Purpose: Read aloud to PreK-Kindergarten students. I can either read this at the end of the year in a preK classroom or on the very first day of Kindergarten to students. This book will help them imagine what the new school year is going to be like. I think this is very important because a lot of children are scared to go into Kindergarten and it is our job as a teacher to ease their minds and let them know it is going to be fun. The vocabulary in this book is suited for PreK to Kindergarten students. The character in this book starts out nervous and then at the end of the day is excited to begin his new journey. This is how I want my students to feel. The book goes through each subject and tells the readers what they do in this subject. An example of this, "The science center is where I'll learn about things that live and grow." The illustrations in this book are very bright to let the students know how fun Kindergarten is going to be and how fun learning can be as well.

This is the perfect book to start off the year and to introduce your classroom while reading it!

[Lindsay Garber]

Personal Reaction:
When I first saw this book on the shelf, it immediately sparked my interest and I could imagine reading it to Kindergarteners on the first day of school. I really like this book because it gives examples of what Kindergarteners will do at school and uses illustrations to show how exciting Kindergarten will be for the students. An example includes, "The art center is where I'll paint pictures and make things out of wet and squishy clay". The illustrations enhance the story and show readers how much Kindergarten has to offer. Children will love this book!

Purposes:
-Read aloud to Kindergarten
-Enrichment/enjoyment due to the exciting activities that the story lists. A Kindergarten teacher can read this to her students on the first day of school to give them an idea of what they will be doing through out the year. As the teacher reads each page, he or she can explain how everything works in their classroom. For example, when the book says, "The reading center has lots of books that I'll learn to read", the teacher can explain to her students where the reading corner is located or how story time works in the classroom.
-Provides comfort for Kindergarteners who are most likely nervous on the first day of school

[Lizzy Herda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Kindergarten is a cute little story about a little boy who gets to go visit a kindergarten classroom. Being able to play around the room he goes to each set up center and explains what the center is and what the students do within that center.
This would be a good story for the first day of school to show students the different centers within your own classrooms and the activities that are appropriate within those centers. You could even read a page of the book and have students point to the same center located within your classroom if you have one of the same centers as the ones in the book.
Overall this was an enjoyable read that introduce a classroom to a young boy. I would recommend reading this book to any young student who is nervous about kindergarten or school in general. This book will show all the fun activities that you get to do within a classroom and all the fun the student will have each day.

[Jennifer Lanman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good to read because it tells a story of the kindergartner who is a little nervous to go to a big school. There are words that get repeated frequently on each page. I liked how bright the colors were and also shows all the activities you will do in kindergarten. It reminded me of when I was in kindergarten and loved all the activities we would do throughout the day. I would use this on a first day of class in kindergarten. You can read aloud to all the students in a circle and then hopefully will not be so nervous. After we can have everyone introduce themselves by saying their name and one thing they loved doing this summer. This is a good book for Kindergarteners coming in from preschool. It can be used as a beginning to read for them. It has short sentences and a fast read.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could be used on the last days of Pre-k to help excite and prepare preschoolers to get ready for Kindergarten. I would definitely read this book the very first day of Kindergarten probably right after we have had our first morning meeting. This book will be so helpful with teaching children about centers and exactly what they will be doing or by providing specific examples of what will be expected in the classroom! This book introduces key vocabulary to the young students that can really help build a prior knowledge base and excitement for the students. I would definitely have this book in my classroom library as one of the beginning of the year text sets.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from the local library last week. Ever since he turned five about two months ago, my son has been talking about going to school and learning.

Two things about this book: First, if this is a pretty accurate portrayal of Kindergarten, Kindergarten has changed greatly since I attended; and, second, if this is a pretty accurate portrayal of Kindergarten, my son wants to start attending tomorrow. Or he will, until he realizes that he has to get up early to catch the school bus. We'll go to the library instead.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book for a parent to read with their younger child before school. It talks aobut a little boy going to his school to see his classroom and school and teacher before school starts. He isn't nervous anymore about going to school, and thinks it will be fun. He even sees a little girl that will be in his classroom. For the reader-listener it teaches them things that they probably will be doing themselves in their own class. Illustrations were matching that of the story which made it nice for my 3 year old granddaughter.

[Renae Williams]

I would read this book on the first day of school, in kindergarten of course. This is an easy read for early readers. This book has several centers in it, so it can be used to get your classroom familiar with centers, what the rules and expectations are in those centers and so on. They will be able to relate to this book because it includes all of the things they are about to experience in the kindergarten.

[Hannah Morrison]

This book has a great way of presenting kindergarten as a new and fun experience to students who might have the jitters. I would absolutely use this in a pre-k class before the little ones are getting ready for their first day. The author does a great job explaining what students do and children will find comfort in its reassurance.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book to add to your preschool shelf. When children get ready to go to Kindergarten sometimes there is fear and curiosity. This book will allow children to have an idea of what their new kindergarten classroom my look like. Take away all the fears and introduce classroom set up, daily routines to look forward to as well as activities that could be implemented.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wellcome to kindergarten is a good book as preparatory for kids which is introduces straigh forward. It gives good explainations how children can prepare for everyday routines and what children learn/experience in the kindergarten. This will be very helpful to use in a pre-k class who are getting ready for their first day of Kindergarten.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't advanced in vocabulary or sentence structure but I think it would be good to read aloud with three and four year-olds as they prepare to think about or attend kindergarten. I would talk about the pictures as I read to make the book meaningful to the children. I liked this book because it shows new things that the child will get to discover rather than be fearful of.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal reaction: This book is great for preschool children because it can help them transition into kindergarten. The transition to kindergarten can be a very scary one for young children, and exposing them to what kindergarten would be like is a great idea. Preparing children for a transition is very necessary.

Purpose: read aloud enrichment, 2-4 year olds

[Kia M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read on the first day of school to welcome your kindergarteners. The book is very descriptive and breaks the classroom down for the students. Great book to help ease their little minds.

[Janet Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect story to read to pre-k or even on your first day on kindergarten. It makes it so that the reader will understand and feel comfortable with what might go on through the school day and help them realize that they are not the only ones going through this.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, balanced book about starting school. This book only addresses a slight fear of the size of the school, so thankfully it's not mega-fear-based like similar books.
Introduces activities that will likely occur in a kindergarten classroom.

[Katy Houseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about a little boy who gets to take a visit to kindergraten to see what it will be like. He explores all the centers and discovers what he will learn. He thinks that the school looks too big for him when he arrives, but thinks it is just his size after he visits.

[Rehema Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Kindergarten is a great preparatory book for kids who are gearing up to go to Kindergarten. It's always nice to prepare children when routines are changing and this book can be helpful in coping with change.

[Crystal Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read on the first day of Kindergarten. The children will learn what to expect in Kindergarten such as various different learning centers. Some children will not know what to expect in Kindergarten, especially if they did not attend pre-k or preschool.

[Sabeen]

I think this is a great book for parents to read to their children who will soon be going to kindergarten so the child is well prepared for what to expect, but it is important to make clear that not all events in the book will happen in kindergarten.