The first day of school is full of emotions. Between excitement and anxiety, littles can find themselves in knots. Little Mole Goes to School by Glenys Nellist can help.
Follow along as Little Mole as he starts off on his first day of school. He faces anxiety about not being like his friends. However, when an accident happens on the playground, and only Little Mole can save the day. He discovers the way God made him is perfect. And maybe he is ready for school after all.
What I Love
As with all of the Little Mole books, this one is not directly faith-based. Jesus, God, nor church is ever mentioned. However there are clear Christian themes throughout for our little friend (such as discovering we are fearfully and wonderfully made). I also love that this book identifies feelings that littles may be feeling as they approach the beginning of their first school year. It shows these feelings are normal. But it doesn’t leave them there. We get to journey with little Mole as he discovers the truth of who he is, and who we are. Another component of this book that makes it perfect for a school or therapeutic setting is a final page that shares coping skills for littles facing anxiety about school. So many books for littles will discuss the emotion, but fall short in equipping parents and their children with tools to navigate and manage these emotions. Little Mole Goes to School is different, providing insight on how parents can prep their littles for a successful start, and offers tools for littles when anxiety begins to creep in.
What My Littles Love
I have a little one going off to preschool this year. It’s only a couple days a week. But emotions have been high! She could totally related to Little Moles nerves. However, her favorite character was Little Mole’s friend, Little Hare (probably because bunnies are her favorite animal at the moment). She loved seeing Little Mole find his place and save the day. We also loved that Little Mole shared specific concerns, not just general anxiety. His concerns included not knowing his ABC’s and not being able to see or hear well. This helped us identify some specific concerns causing my little anxiety (i.e. not being able to express herself well in English, worries about making friends, etc.). Being able to talk about specific concerns helped us speak truth into her tiny storm of anxious thoughts.
Little Mole Goes to School has been a welcome addition to our home library. Be sure to also check out Little Mole Finds Hope and Little Mole’s Christmas Gift.
Baby Devotions 