Bones, Bobby. Stanley the Dog: The First Day of School. Stephanie Laberis, Illus. Picture Book. HarperCollins, 06/2022. [32]pp. $18.99. 978-0-06-303952-0. ADDITIONAL. GRADES K-1.
Bobby Bones changes up the first-day-of-school genre by sending the dog to school and leaving the boy at home. Stanley, a bulldog, leaves his “dad” Bobby (a white boy) at home as the school bus takes him and many other dogs to Stanley’s first day of the new year. As is often the case for new students, Stanley is quite nervous about starting school, and some funny errors make him feel like an outcast. However, after rescuing the classroom cat from a fall, things go well all the way until bedtime, when he realizes that school continues the next day. Laberis’s digital illustrations convey just the right amount of detail to easily see Stanley’s emotions as well as those of the other animals and the few humans around. A useful addition to this crowded first-day-ofschool picture book genre.
Joshua Rees, Daly City Public Library