A Not So Perfect Start (The Caring Classroom, #1) by Maribel Lechuga, Trudy Ludwig
Series: The Caring Classroom #1
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on June 16, 2026
ISBN: 979-8217028672
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Humor, Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Starting school is nerve-wracking but Thea is sure she is ready. She has gone down her checklist and has everything she needs! She overcomes her nerves and joins her class.

Sometimes things don’t go exactly as she plans and her emotions get the better of her when what she was working on didn’t turn out perfect. With the caring input from her teacher she learns that things don’t need to be perfect. With this new perspective she is able to look at how even the messiest of accidents can become something beautiful.

Ages 4 -7
Reviewed by MaryAnn Lopes, Elementary Librarian. Lewiston Public Schools, Lewiston, Maine.