THIS IS A SCHOOL! (Don't miss this one!)

 My professional years in public schools involved working in a major metro system with hundred-plus schools and a small suburban district with only FOUR schools in all. The differences could fill a book, not a blog post. In recent years with charter choices, Covid remote learning, and mandated social distancing, masks, and dividers, traditional assumptions about "school" have been transformed. Add to that the absurd intrusions of politics and demands into choices about funding, book inclusion (or censorship), and topics for instruction (or exclusion), and it's about time to ask, 

What is a school? 

CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2022

John Schu provides his answer in a recent picture book, THIS IS A SCHOOL. As you can see from illustrator Veronica Miller Jamison's cover (and interiors support this approach), this suggests a very traditional brick-and-mortar, in-person definition for "school". Within that context, the people and scenes pictured will feel familiar to those returning to a physical school. For those who have not yet been able to attend a physical school, this introduction presents a warm welcome in scenes populated by diverse peers, adults, and community members who suggest safety and support. 

The text and transitions are as concise and potent as haiku poetry: Concrete details expand the essential to universal applications and concepts in a wide range of lives and experiences. 

For example:

"This is a kid.

This is a kid in a class.

This is a class in a hall.

This is a hall in a school.

WELCOME!" 

With transitions to what school IS beneath all that:

"We ask.

We learn.

We share.

We help."

This simple approach extends out to the families, community, and the purpose of "school": 

Look, listen, learn.    

The last page/single-line is at the heart of SCHOOL. And at the heart of a child's life. It's a message that is simple, direct, and applicable to any and every location and shared learning space. 

Stay tuned for more picture books from John Schu, an experienced school librarian, field expert for Scholastic Books, and committed literacy expert. In March 2023, THIS IS A STORY arrives on the scene and can be preordered now. To learn more about it, check HERE.

THIS IS A SCHOOL (and later, THIS IS A STORY) will make welcome gifts for teachers and families to begin and wrap up the school year. I hope you'll take a look and agree.