The First Day of School (Mr. Wolf's Class #1) by Aron Nels Steinke
Published by Graphix on June 26th 2018
ISBN: 133804768X
Pages: 160
Goodreads

Mr. Wolf’s Class  by Eisner Award-winning author Aron Nels Steinke follows a teacher (Mr. Wolf) and several of his students on the first day of fourth grade. This is the first in a series (second book is coming out February 2019) and it’s a great start! We see Mr. Wolf setting up his classroom the day before and most of his students going to sleep. I appreciated the fact that Steinke shows all of the kids in various sleeping situations; yes, most are in beds, but some are on couches, on mattresses on the floor, one is being kept up by a crying baby, and one is asleep while riding in a car. Mr. Wolf’s class is also diverse, with one main character wearing a hijab and kids who work and learn in different ways. Overall, Mr. Wolf manages to survive a missing kid, a stapler-stealing coworker, and his first day of teaching. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and very funny. The kids in the story are realistic, diverse, and keep you interested. I would suggest this book to kids who like Cucumber Quest and for libraries that carry middle grade graphic novels. Recommended for grades 2 – 5.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook