I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A retake on the classic first day of school story. Kids who like the circus and animals will enjoy this re-imagining.

Thank you #netgalley for a copy of this book to review. I enjoyed this book and its twist on the first day of school story. Circus themes are great for kids, but the big kids (fifth graders) enjoy it too. Poop jokes were a plus!

Your First Day of Circus School by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Melissa Crowton is a fun and different take on a child's first day of school. A young boy is awakened by his older brother. The story takes the reader through all the things a child will encounter upon their first day at school but with a circus twist. (i.e. the bus is a clown car, new clothes are circus clothes, the big, tall kid is a circus elephant and so on). The best thing about it all is that his brother is there with him, making sure he is okay along the way. This was a very imaginative story with fun illustrations. The book is a take on school readiness and how simple the transition can be especially if you have a big brother to escort you. There are some giggles and some things that I explained along the way, but overall, my grandchildren seemed to enjoy this story.

'Your First Day of Circus School' by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Melissa Crowton is a fun take on a child's first day of school.

A young child is awakened by a loud older brother welcoming him to his first day of school. Throughout the journey there are comparisons to the circus. From clothes that look like circus costumes to animals. The bus is a clown car, and the tall kid sitting in front of you in class is an elephant. Through it all, your older brother looks out for you, like he should.

I liked the imagination behind this one. It kind of makes the school experience seem to be full of imagination, even if the reality turns out to be different. The illustrations are fun and I liked the details on the pages.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Tundra Books, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

3.5 /5
I really liked the illustrations / colour pallet for this. I also thought for the most part that this would be a great first day of school book for young readers. However, it does somewhat work towards a niche audience for that (if you are an only child or the oldest child going to school for the first time) and I found the poop joke to be somewhat unnecessary (but that's probably just me). All in all, a cute back to school read but not the best I've come across.

In true Tara Lazar style, this circus story is a totally new spin on the first day of school. It is full of puns, heart and humor. A nervous child will see how this boy copes with all the feelings and questions the first day of school brings in such a fun setting. As a child, I lived near the winter quarters of a circus. I loved being able to visit the animals, who I believed were my friends. As an adult, I see that they probably didn’t have the best life which is disheartening. Your First Day of Circus School brings me back to the magic of the circus animals and will be a welcome addition in schools and libraries everywhere! The illustrations are perfect.

Thank you NetGalley and Tundra Books for a digital copy to review.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!

I love circus themed books, especially for my kiddos. While this book is better suited for children younger than mine, it was an adorable and fun take on the typical "first day of school" books!

Standard first day of school fair gets an upgrade with a circus theme. Advice like don't sit behind the tall kid get a visual joke when the tall kid is an elephant, and that cafeteria really is a zoo full of tigers, crocodiles, and monkeys. The advice is solid, the pictures are a wonderful limited pallet with plenty of humor. It's a win for any child who is a little nervous about the first day and needs a good laugh.

This is such a fun book. It is a story in metaphor. It sets out the first day of school as a circus rather than just any other first day of school books. The illustrations are awesome. They are simple, but colorful and help the metaphor play out well.

Everyone has to start something new at least once in their lives. In Lazar’s book, “you” are going to circus school for the first time. Even though it is a huge change “you” have a big brother that can help guide you. Your teacher, Miss Stupendous, will help you too. Even though we don’t see much of the big brother, he plays a large role in “you” being prepared for school. The illustrations are cute and Lazar even worked in some potty humor into this original take on the “first day” story.

While the story was, as a whole, very cute and relatable, there were several “tips” that could be misconstrued by some younger readers. For example, one tip is to not end up behind the “tall kid.” Way to make the “tall kids” listening to the book even more self-conscious on their first day of school. Then there is the advice to not “let the kids in higher grades run you over” and “you’ll make lots of new friends if you put on a smile.” I get what the author was trying to say about feeling like an ant on a sidewalk when you are a foot shorter than the older students, but I don’t know if writing “don’t let” was the right word choice…nothing like encouraging division and violence based on grade level or status. As to the second piece of advice, again, nothing like saying “don’t be yourself” encourages nervous kids out of their shell. No one has to smile all the time in order to make friends.

As a child, I think I would have loved the illustrations, although I was never one for potty humor. As a parent, I would read the story once but skip sections by talking about the pictures more than the advice.

Superficial rating based on illustrations and originality: 4/5
Parental rating based on likelihood to read again: 2/5

A first day of school story, with a circus theme

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages! The first day of school can bring on a variety of emotions. Join a nervous boy and his helpful older brother as they navigate the highs and lows of a first day at school. The school portrayed in this colorful book is a big top, and the teacher is named Miss Stupendous. The cafeteria can be a zoo, and I mean literally. You see docile lions, monkeys, snakes and seals just meandering the cafeteria. The book is a take on school readiness and how simple the transition can be that is IF you have a big brother to escort you. If not, just read the book for fun instead of for encouragement. I wouldn’t have included the line, “Don’t let the kids in the HIGHER GRADES run you over. “ I think that is negative and a scary thought to a little person. Kids will like the steaming pile of poop the giraffe leaves behind at recess.