Award-winning author Tony Johnston and Caldecott honor illustrator Melissa Sweet create a joyful story about the first day of kindergarten! "I'm off to kindergarten now.I'd better take my bear.He likes to sit beside me soI'll take a little chair. . . ."So begins the long list of things Bill absolutely needs for his first day of school. Along with his pillow and some cookies, he also plans on bringing his sandbox, some digging moles, and a moving truck!A touching story of first-day jitters and hopes, Tony Johnston's rhyming text is paired with Melissa Sweet's delightful illustrations! Tony Johnston is the author of nearly 100 picture books and early readers, including The Iguana Brothers, illustrated by Mark Teague. Her first novel, ANY SMALL GOODNESS: A NOVEL OF THE BARRIO, was named an NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts, an IRA Notable Book for a Global Security, and a Judy Lopez Memorial Honor Book. It was also awarded the first annual Southern California Booksellers' Association Children's Book Award. Ms. Johnston lives in California with her husband.
Born and raised in suburban Wyckoff, New Jersey, Melissa Sweet studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute. She has worked at various types of commercial art, and has created posters, greeting cards, and one-of-a-kind handmade books. Since entering the world of children's books, she has published over 60 titles. Her lighthearted, gentle cartoon illustrations have graced a wide range of children's books from board books to series fiction to more serious nonfiction subjects, all very successfully. She received a Caldecott Honor for her work in A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams.
