Pistes d'exploration

Share memories of your own first days of school.

In your journal, write and draw what you do when you are worried.

Make a class list of things people worry about, with suggestions on how to cope with these worries.

Make a class advice sheet for new, young students on how to manage the first days of school. 

Discuss your first day of school. Discuss the things that you were worried about, whether you were worried about speaking English.

Make a class list of things people worry about, with suggestions on how to cope with these worries.

Practise words or expressions used in the book to express yourself in English.

Make class posters about what you can do to cope on those occasions when you don’t know how to say something.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Chrysanthemum, Noni Is Nervous

Mots-clés

Picture book , anxiety , fear , friendship , growing up , mice , new school year , questions , recurrent language

Commentaire descriptif

Wemberly is a young mouse who worries about everything. Her fears and concerns mount, despite caring parents and a grandmother with a Zen attitude. On Halloween, Wemberly worries there will be too many butterfly costumes, like hers. When her fear proves unfounded, she worries “because she is the only one.” Coping with new situations and stresses is a rich topic for young readers. For Wemberly, school provides a whole new set. Her worries grow in larger and larger type, until they fill the spread: “What if the room smells bad? . . . What if I hate the snack? What if I have to cry?” The illustrations are colourful, sweet cartoon images, dense with texture and pattern. Wemberly and her new school friend clutch their dolls, fingers in their mouths. Together they watch others play on the slide, their eyes bulging with concern. But playing musical instruments brings a blissful expression to both their faces. “Before Wemberly knew it, it was time to go home.” No matter how naturally anxious—or not—readers might be, they will benefit from the valuable message in this warm, funny book for everyone. As Wemberly herself advises at the end: “Don’t worry.”