SAMMY AND SUNNY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Whether you’ve got two legs or four, first days can be awfully exciting!

It’s here! Today is Sammy and Sunny’s first day of school! For Sammy, a brown-skinned girl living with her light-skinned mama, that means kindergarten. Meanwhile, Sunny, their spotted pooch, is off to dog-training class. Girl and pet alike undergo similar experiences, their days mirroring one another. Their arrivals are accompanied by a sense of loneliness that’s quickly alleviated as they throw themselves into various activities—some similar (like roll call), others quite different (Sammy listens to storytime, while Sunny digs in the dirt). Mind you, not everything goes smoothly: Sammy accidentally sprays herself while drinking from the water fountain, while Sunny’s terrified when his trainer turns on the vacuum cleaner. Overall, though, the two have a great time, and the day’s over before they even know it. And tomorrow? Well…maybe tomorrow they’ll switch schools! Though LaCour acknowledges her protagonists’ fears and concerns over the sheer newness of things, on the whole, starting school is a positive experience. The surprise ending, in which Sammy and Sunny switch schools, is left open-ended and could be taken literally or as pure fantasy. The bright, upbeat watercolor art abounds in movement and friendly faces all around.

The universality of the first day of school transcends species in this gentle aid for newbies.