First Day Jitters

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Feb 01 2000 | Archive Date Jun 30 2016

Description

Head back to school with the bestselling picture book classic! The perennial classroom read-aloud favorite for students and teachers, reminding us we all get the jitters sometimes.

A perfect new school year pick for kindergarteners, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders who are feeling nervous or anxious about starting their first day.

Sarah Jane Hartwell has that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach—she's nervous and doesn't want to start a new school year. She doesn't know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it.

With a little convicing from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly heads to class. Shy at first, she's quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton and is reminded that everyone at school gets the jitters sometimes.

A beloved and bestselling back to school staple, Sarah Jane's relatable story and its surprise ending will delight seasoned students and new faces alike who are anxious about their first day.

• Includes a Certificate of Courage for First Day Completion and a First Day Memories Sheet!
Head back to school with the bestselling picture book classic! The perennial classroom read-aloud favorite for students and teachers, reminding us we all get the jitters sometimes.

A perfect new...

A Note From the Publisher

It's time to start planning for back to school!

It's time to start planning for back to school!


Advance Praise

2001 Storytelling World Award
Children's Books Mean Business
Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee
PW Bestseller list

Sarah Jane Hartwell is so nervous about her first day of school that she doesn't want to get out of bed or eat breakfast. She is so worried that she tries to hide in the car until the principal sees her and takes her inside to meet her class. Students will be delighted with the surprise ending when Sarah's true identity is revealed, proving that just about everyone has first-day jitters when it comes to starting school. Ink-and-watercolor drawings effectively portray Sarah's nervous energy.

--School Library Journal

Every child who has moved to a new school or is simply reluctant to start a school year can identify with this wittily drawn and suspensefully told story. From the moment she awakens on the fateful day to the moment she steps into the classroom, Sarah Hartwell imagines the worst. Love's ink-and-watercolor illustrations add humor to Sarah's fears, which range from bratty kids to a police search when she doesn't show up. Mr. Hartwell's reassurances don't seem to be much help. The pictures mirror the jangled nerves and outsize expectations (the double-page spread of a looming, prisonlike school is priceless) everyone faces when they are new, all of which leads to a nifty surprise ending that is a delight. Funny and insightful.

--Booklist

2001 Storytelling World Award
Children's Books Mean Business
Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee
PW Bestseller list

Sarah Jane Hartwell is so nervous about her first day of school that she...


Marketing Plan

Visit www.charlesbridge.com/FDJ to watch videos of favorite authors and illustrators telling stories of their first day jitters, including from author Julie Danneberg!

Receive a 20% discount when you purchase First Day Jitters at www,charlesbridge.com. Use promo code gotthejitters at checkout.

Visit www.charlesbridge.com/FDJ to watch videos of favorite authors and illustrators telling stories of their first day jitters, including from author Julie Danneberg!

Receive a 20% discount when you...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781580890540
PRICE $17.99 (USD)

Average rating from 18 members


Featured Reviews

Always one of my favorite beginning-of-school stories! I loved reading this to my first graders.

Was this review helpful?

As a teacher, I've read this book on the first day of school many times. My kids love the ending!

Was this review helpful?

Lol!
The ending was surprising.
I believe that every kids, especially the one that got nervous on their first day at school, have to read this book.
They will feel better, trust me XD

Was this review helpful?

This is such a fun book because everyone on the planet can relate: a parent, a student, a teacher or a principal understands those emotions completely. The first day of school is exciting but also can be very scary. Everyone finds it hard to sleep the night before and they try to imagine in their head all night long what that first day will look like.

Will the teacher be nice? Will the kids accept me and be my friends? Will I miss my bus or .... horrors of horrors.... forget my lunch on the kitchen counter? Is what I chose to wear the right thing so I'll look cool? Is my backpack stuffed and ready to go? And on and on and on....... all these things swirl around over an over again as the alarm is anticipated every five minutes and your first day starts calling you forth.

Sarah Jane does not want to get up and head off and she pulls her covers back over her head and refuses to budge. She finally is lured from her hideaway and encouraged to eat a piece of toast, grab her lunch pail and head off into the wonderful world of first day jitters. She still is relucant and slumps down in the car en route trying to disappear into thin air once again.

She is met by the principal of the school and escorted to her classroom where a gaggle of students are anxiously awaiting her arrival. How will she be received? Will her jitters overcome her? Maybe she should have stayed home in bed. This book is humorous and extremely witty. The illustrations are just fantastic, full of detail, emotion and action. They were a great sell for me purchasing the book for myself. I truly loved them. Suspense is created as the reader turns each page because the true identity of Sarah Jane is not fully disclosed until the very end of the book. The unexpected twist that culminates the story will bring a great chuckle to readers of all ages.

I used this book when I was teaching in every grade: from Kindergarten through grades 7 and 8. Each time I read it aloud to my class, the kids enjoyed it immensely and we all had a great laugh because the characters portrayed in the book were....us!! Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

First Day Jitters written by Julie Danneberg and illustrated Judy Love, is a great niche book for that first day back to school in September, perfect for any grade level. Miss Sarah Jane Hartwell does not want to go to her new school. She'd rather stay in bed under the covers when the clock strikes 6 am, but her father insists she face the music. With a piece of toast and a lunchbox in her hand, Sarah's father drives her to school where she is met by the principal, Mrs Burton who introduces her to the rest of the class. There is a surprise ending which will make you chuckle.

There is not a lot of text but the book is full of Norman Rockwellesque illustrations. We don't get to see Sarah's face until the last page, but we empathize with her emotions in facing a new experience. "The teachers will hate me", "The kids won't like me", "I won't fit in", "They'll laugh at me" - who doesn't have doubts that first day? Kids will easily relate to Sarah and her angst. In addition, they will love the humorous Illustrations, full of the delightful faces of children reflecting a school full of diversity, including a black principal. The antics of Sarah's pets, a cat and dog, add to the fun.

This book will make a wonderful icebreaker for a teacher to read to her class as they begin the school year. Four stars and a Thank you to Netgalley and Charlesbridge for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

5/5 stars. First Day Jitters is one of my favorite books for reading aloud to primary students on the first day of school. So many students face fears about various aspects of school whether it is due to a new school, new grade, new teacher or even new family situation. Most are surprised by the ending. Many want to relate the text to their own lives after I finish reading it. I especially appreciate that the artwork reflects diversity in the students' faces.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book! I have always enjoyed children's books, and this is a perfect example of why. The pictures are beautifully done, and when she entered the classroom, I could imagine the noise of a class full of children on the first day of school! The words flow, and add deeper meaning to the images. The ending was perfection and this story is sure to please!

Was this review helpful?

I love this story. In First Day Jitters, Sarah Jane Hartwell doesn’t want to get out of bed to go to school on the first day. Mr. Hartwell finally convinces her to get up, have breakfast and head off to school. He drives her and she is met by the principal who takes her to her classroom.

The author, Julie Danneberg, writes this book in a way that leaves the reader surprised at the end of the story when it is revealed that Sarah is actually the teacher. The illustrations by Judy Love, are also done in a way that Sarah’s face is never revealed until the end of the book when she is introduced to the class. I loved the illustrations, they are colourful, full of action (the pets trying to get her out of bed are wonderful) and kids will relate to them well.

Children of all ages would enjoy the surprise at the end of the story. I am a retired teacher and I know that my colleagues would enjoy the humor of this book, and relate to it more than we know. This would be a great read aloud book to share with students on the first day of school. It would give teachers the opportunity to share their worries and concerns about the first day of school. This gives students the chance to see their teachers in a different light, we don't live in or sleep at the school, and we have similar feelings at the beginning the new school year.

This is a great book to be in all school libraries as well as classroom libraries or teacher resource rooms. A great opportunity to talk about emotions and ways to deal with them.

Was this review helpful?

Cute story! I loved the surprise at the end!

I will be adding this book to my library!

Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: