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

This was a cute story about a little girl starting day care. The pictures were very bright and cute. The text was short and flowed well. I think this is a great read for any child heading to preschool especially if they are nervous.

Zaza is going to daycare for the first time and she is a bit nervous. Picking her favourite toy/doll to take with her she heads off to make new friends and try new things. Talking to her doll about her worries, she fits right in and has a great day. A simple premise but one that is often a problem for young children. When she gets home she shares her day with all her other toys that had to stay home. I read this to my 3 year old granddaughter, but her older brother listened in and shared that he was scared to go to school for the first time, (he actually cried a lot his first day) but that he made friends and loves it now. A good story to read to those heading off to daycare or preschool for the first time.

Good story for children beginning preschool or day care. Other children will enjoy it as well.

Zaza is scared because she is going to day care for the first time. She takes her stuffed animal, Rosie, with her. Zaza and Rosie think day care is very loud. Zaza shows Rosie how to make new friends. Soon Zaza has new friends to play with too. Both have a good day.

Easy to understand. Bright colors. Children are portrayed in a variety of races. All are playing together regardless of how they look. Double lessons emerge. One about not being afraid of new experiences and that we are all the same despite looking different.

Wonderful book to help children be more comfortable being in day care, preschool, etc.; making new friends; dispelling racial prejudices; and just a fun read.


I received an ARC from Clavis Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review.

Zaza is a little nervous. Today she goes to daycare for the very first time. Mommy explains to her that it's a place for her to have fun playing and to make new friends. Zara needs one of her toys to keep her company and give her support so she choses her favourite doll Rosie to go along with her.

When Zara steps into the daycare she discovers lot of noise and busy kids which she finds a bit intimidating as she knows no one. Bravely she steps forward and introduces herself and Rosie to a small group of kids and politely asks if she can play with them.

Happily she settles in and realizes it's fun to make new friendships. Before she knows it her mommy is back to pick her up and take her home. When she arrives back she realizes in her heart that there is no place like home but is excited too to go back to daycare again tomorrow and perhaps widen her circle of new friends.

The illustrations are adorable and the colours are vibrant. The children at the daycare are diverse and the book has a positive message... if you face your uncertainties wonderful adventures can ensue. This book is highly recommended.

I chose to read this book because my son will be going to school for the first time in a few weeks. This is a cute book that teaches students how to be brave and make friends.

I liked that the illustration style was something different, and loved the diversity of the illustrations, but the story itself didn't stand out to me. In the story it's Zaza's first day at daycare, and she brings along a stuffed animal to make her feel more comfortable, and makes friends and enjoys her day.

The first day of daycare or school for any child always has a scary factor in it. And for zaza there is no exemption. Although she is afraid, she walks right up to the other kids and introduce herself and Rosie her doll, which was a really brave thing to do. This cute little book teaches kids how to be brave and make new friends.

Thank you Clavis and Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
This book had a nice premise, but the illustrations and content seemed a little outdated. I wish there was more depth in the writing, especially if it will help my child with going to daycare.. Zaza seems to have an easy first day, runs into no problems, and that’s it.

This book was first published in Europe. Maybe it's still acceptable there to depict black children like this, but North American readers are likely to find the illustrations offensive.

My first thought upon seeing the cover was that the black kids looked kind of like golliwogs. For those who don't know, a golliwog is often viewed as a form of blackface. Golliwogs were made as children's toys (gotta start training the racists young, right?) and had features such as black skin, white-rimmed eyes, and red lips. Now, the black kids in this book may have pink lips, but they've got the lighter-rimmed eyes. Perhaps if the eyes on the white children had been done the same way, it wouldn't have been as much of an issue; but the white kid's eyes are merely dots, leaving the black kids to be the only ones drawn in this borderline offensive style (which also makes them look a bit deranged).

The story itself is simple and boring (it's a toddler book, so I wasn't expecting anything complex), and with the grammatically incorrect (or at least grammatically awkward) first line, the writing didn't impress me. Besides, I was far too distracted by the illustrations, and wondering how a book like this got published in 2019. (There are apparently other books about Zaza, so the horse is already out of the barn, so to speak. Maybe Europeans aren't as sensitive to these kinds of depictions of black people, but I really don't understand why a North American publisher chose to publish the books in English over here!)

I loved the illustrations. The colors were vivid and bold. I liked the idea of the story, to help children starting school not be so afraid. However the story didn’t really feel that interesting. It felt like it’s been done before and I don’t know that my son would be that interested.