Starting School

With its charming characters and engaging story, Starting School provides children with the comfort, confidence, and inspiration they need to take their first steps into the world of education. "The perfect conversation starter." Children's Books Daily *NOTABLE BOOK - CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2014* *SHORTLISTED - Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards 2014* Tim, Hannah, Sunita, Joe and Polly are all off to school for the first time. Would you like to meet them and see how they go? There are new friends to make, fun ways to learn, and lots of different things to discover. From Jane Godwin and Anna Walker comes this beautiful book focussing on the experiences and feelings of five very different children as they begin at school for the first time. Jane's simple words and ideas combine with Anna's gentle and detailed illustrations to help children feel comfortable about taking this big step. A must-read for children, parents, and educators alike to help children with- *Understanding and managing emotions and feelings such as nervousness, excitement, and fear *The value of teamwork, making new friends and how to form new relationships *The fun of learning and discovering new subjects, activities, and skills *The benefits of going to school, such as gaining knowledge, developing independence, and growing as a person *The role of teachers, schools, and education in shaping their future *The importance of being curious, asking questions, and exploring the world around them *Building confidence, resilience, and self-esteem in a new environment *Understanding and embracing diversity, such as different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives *Developing reading and visual literacy skills, as well as imagination and creativity "A beautifully crafted story that reassures nervous children and emphasises the excitement of heading off to 'big school' for the first time." Kids Book Review

Jane Godwin (Author) Jane Godwin is a highly acclaimed author of over thirty books for children, across all styles and ages. Her work is published internationally and she has received many commendations, including the Queensland Premier's Award (Children's Books), the Aurealis Award and the Animal Welfare Award, and shortlistings in the CBC Book of the Year Awards, the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the New South Wales State Literary Award (Patricia Wrightson Prize) the YABBA Awards, the Speech Pathology Awards, The Family Award for Children's Books, and the Australian Book Industry Awards. For many years, Jane worked as the Children's Publisher at Penguin Books Australia. She often works in schools and the community, running various literature and writing programs, making books and encouraging students in their own creative ventures. Anna Walker (Illustrator) Anna Walker writes and illustrates children's books and is based in Melbourne. Crafted with pencil, ink and collage, Anna's illustrations are inspired by the everyday details of life and the amusing antics of her menagerie. Anna's picture book, Mr Huff, which she wrote and illustrated, won the 2016 CBCA Book of the Year for Early Childhood and was shortlisted in the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Together with Jane Godwin, Anna has also created many beautiful picture books, most recently Don't Forget. Anna's picture books as author-illustrator also include the highly acclaimed Florette, the delightful Lottie and Walter, and the tender and touching Hello Jimmy!