Eliza’s Kindergarten Surprise by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Nancy Spier

When Eliza’s mother drops her off at Kindergarten for the first time, Eliza cries.  So her mother gives her a special kiss and puts it into Eliza’s pocket.  As Eliza starts her day, her pocket feels very empty, but she finds two buttons that look like her mother’s eyes and put those in her pocket.  Throughout her day, Eliza finds all sorts of small objects that remind her of her mother.  By the end of the book, Eliza has quite a collection, and suddenly knows exactly what to do with it. 

The illustrations are very clean and bright.  I do wish that some of the background children at school were of different races, but it remains a very friendly book.  The use of a pocket being empty to symbolize that empty feeling inside is very nice. 

This is a very positive book about starting school, showing that children can cope in many different ways.  Perfect to share with children starting either preschool or kindergarten, this book will allow a discussion about fears to start.

Recommended for ages 4-6.