Here is the story that is circulating around the fabulous reading state of Georgia:
Georgia Knows the Secret to Easing Kindergarten Jitters
When a child enters kindergarten it’s the first step away from babyhood. There can be a lot of stress, tears, and possibly, tantrums. And that’s just the parents!
In case the children who are entering kindergarten are having some jitters, the state of Georgia is doing what it can to help calm their fears. Bright from the Start, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, is providing all 80,000 of them with a free copy of the picture book, Kindergarten Rocks!, by award-winning author/illustrator Katie Davis.
New York kindergarten teacher Ellie Sugarman who was the model for the book’s Miss Sugarman, says, “Just imagine, every child entering kindergarten in Georgia will be that much closer to being ready to learn because their fears will have been addressed before the first day. I sure wish we had that program up here!”
The book tells the story of Dexter, a boy full of bravado, who is actually terrified of going to kindergarten. Though it’s a picture book, it provides real support and tips for new students and their parents.
There is even a whole month dedicated to preparing for that big step. Get-Ready-for-Kindergarten Month takes place in August. It was created by Ms. Davis after her experience writing Kindergarten Rocks!
Jim Grant, an internationally renowned educator and founder of Staff Development for Educators (SDE, Inc.), highly endorses preparing new kindergarteners. He notes, “Kindergarten Rocks! is an exciting book with a refreshing look at a critical subject-school readiness-and combined with Get-Ready-for-Kindergarten Month, will help parents have a better understanding of the transition to kindergarten and what this means for young children.”
Davis created Get-Ready-for-Kindergarten Month because, as she says, “The longer I worked on this book, the more I felt for Dexter, and by extension, the kids he represents. Of course, not all children are going to have a hard time making this transition, but there are over 3 million new kindergarteners every year. If just a fraction need some support, I hope that the book and Get-Ready-for-Kindergarten Month will provide it for them and their parents.”
Katie Davis has written and illustrated seven picture books, including the bestseller
Who Hops? and a new novel, The Curse of Addy McMahon (2008, Greenwillow) which uniquely incorporates the graphic novel format of her main character’s diary. She and her family live in New York.
In the next couple of days, stay tuned – I’ll be posting tips to ease kindergarten jitters!