Yesterday, I had the pleasure of reading a book by Judi Moreillon. Ready and Waiting for You (illustrated by Catherine Stock) is much more than the average “prepare for kindergarten” book. The loving tone and multi-cultural characters in this book distinguishes it from all the others. A repeated lyrical phrase invites children to kindergarten: “Come in. Come in. Come in through this door. Are you new?” The pages with door illustrations have flaps that open out, leading into different school related spaces: a yellow bus, the school entrance, the library, cafeteria, and classroom. In each setting, brightly colored collage characters complete the phrase with, “We’re ready and waiting for you.”
Some sophisticated vocabulary words (i.e. “your boisterous bus mates”) blend in easily with the rhymes. Characters come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The detailed illustrations can be used as starting points for conversations. This book was listed as one of Bank Street College’s 2014 Best Books, recommended for children ages 4-6. Have a look at the book trailer, http://tinyurl.com/btrandw4u, and see for yourself how wonderful this book is!
(Judy’s blog address is: http://storytrail.com/Author/books.html)
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