KINDERGARTEN LUCK

Theodore’s gloomy morning improves when he finds a penny that brings him luck all day long.

Or at least that’s what he believes. It’s hard to imagine anything bringing down Borden’s mostly upbeat, positive protagonist. He compliments his mother, celebrates the sun, is happy to see his favorite bus driver, Slim, and believes his school’s the best in the world. And things do go right for him: he’s the calendar helper, has his poem read aloud, dominates at tetherball, and is the line leader—and that’s just the morning. On the bus, after a chat with Slim about luck, Theodore secretly leaves the penny in a spot where Slim is sure to find it. “Theodore had found his own luck in a shiny penny…enough to give to a friend…and enough for tomorrow, too.” While kids may not be able to relate to the effervescent Theodore or ever imagine a day as good as his, those new to school may be comforted by the depicted routines of his day in kindergarten. Godbout’s colored-pencil illustrations reflect the wide range of emotions children experience during the school day, and readers who look closely are sure to be rewarded by small, humorous details, though her rosy-cheeked and -nosed characters might take some getting used to.

There’s a little luck in each person’s day; here’s hoping young children’s eyes are open to theirs.