Back to School, Backpack! by Simon Rich and Tom Toro - ADVISABLE

Back to School, Backpack! by Simon Rich, illustrated by Tom Toro. PICTURE BOOK Little Brown, 2023 $19. 9780316628341 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

Backpack is terrified of the first day of school - the stuff you shove into him, the way you smash him and drag him around - all of it is terrifying. Even worse? Being alone. However, maybe there is some hope to find a place and a friend. 

The backpack is absolutely cute and the idea is solid. Unfortunately, the text switches from first person to second person abruptly and becomes a "lesson", instead of a fun story to read. The backpack wearer is a white girl; her new friend is a Black boy. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian