School Day Drama: Ready-to-Read Graphics Level 1

A chicken and penguin with seemingly nothing in common see if they can be birds of a feather in the first book in this sweet new Level 1 Ready-to-Read Graphics series about celebrating differences!

Classmates Chi-Chi and Pey-Pey are as different as night and day. Chi-Chi is a chicken who likes cheese puffs and cheerleading. Pey-Pey is a penguin who likes pirates and pogo sticks. If these two can find some common ground and become friends, anything is possible!

Ready-to-Read Graphics books give readers the perfect introduction to the graphic novel format with easy-to-follow panels, speech bubbles with accessible vocabulary, and sequential storytelling that is spot-on for beginning readers. There’s even a how-to guide for reading graphic novels at the beginning of each book.

Jennifer Fosberry is a New York Times bestselling children’s book author and board game designer. After working in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley and running away to Costa Rica for a few years, she returned to the San Francisco Bay area to read, write, game, and try to get out of housework. She lives with her patient husband, her three darling children, and her two little dogs, too.

Shiho Pate was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and raised in Aichi. She received her degree in illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design and worked for indie gaming studios before she started making children’s books. Shiho lives in Southern California, where she loves hunting with her daughter and husband for new ramen restaurants. Visit her at ShihoPate.com or @ShihoPate on Instagram.

ISBN: 9781665931885
Format: Paperback
Pages: 64
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Published: June 27, 2023

"The universal experience of the first day of school can stir up different responses in kids. Where many texts follow the experience of one child, this title offers a unique perspective on how two ­different “kids” (in this case a penguin and a chicken) experience this yearly hurdle. . . . While the theme of going back to school is common, how Chi-Chi and ­Pey-Pey’s friendship is ultimately built allows for each of them to shine. VERDICT A solid choice for libraries that circulate graphic novels to younger readers.""A comics primer dressed up in an odd-couple school story for new readers. . . . follow Chi Chi and Pey Pey as they separately anticipate the start of school and then attend their first day together. Their words and thoughts effectively guide readers through the scenes as cute, appealing cartoon illustrations provide visual cues to assist decoding. It’s immediately clear that the birds are opposites, with Chi Chi feeling anxious about school while Pey Pey isn’t a bit worried. . . . Chi Chi and Pey Pey seemingly have nothing in common, but Mrs. Possum encourages them to overcome their differences, and they do so in an unexpected, playful way. An early reader to befriend."