The Day You Begin

Title: The Day You Begin 
Author: Jacqueline Woodson 
Illustrator: Rafael López  
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books 
Publication Date: August 28th, 2018  
Genre/Format: Fiction/Picture Book 
GoodReads Summary: National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner Rafael Lopez have teamed up to create a poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.

There will be times when you walk into a room
and no one there is quite like you.

There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.

Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael Lopez's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.
What I Think: I adore this book. It's such a simple idea but also so universal which makes it a wonderful book to share with all ages of readers. This book was the first book I read to my students this school year and it was a great way to start. At the end of class, I asked students to write me comments and one student said that he had fun even though we talked about a serious topic and I think it was partly because of this book. The story brings things like insecurity and being an outsider and similarities and differences right into the open. Sharing this book was the perfect way to start the year. 
     As a mentor text, we're going to look at the first page when she walks into the classroom when as we brainstorm and write about doors in our lives. I especially love this book to remind us of small moments connected to the feelings we related to the in book. 
     I also really love the first line (shared below). You could lift it and write your own story from there. We've all walked into a room and had to navigate lots of feelings that would be interesting to write about.

Snatch of Text: "There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you."