Lulu’s First Day

This delightful, heart-warming picture book follows book lover Lulu on her first day at pre-school. A wonderful book for parents preparing their child for nursery or school, with a couple of nods to the emotional journey parents are going through too.

It’s an early start but Lulu is ready, she has packed Dinah her special cuddly cat and chosen her outfit, ‘pink, jumping leggings and her ‘sunny, yellow top’ – although she did want to wear her party dress, but Mummy says maybe not. She poses for her ‘first day’ photograph and then they are off.

Lulu is greeted by her teacher and shown where to put her things. Mum stays for a little while until Lulu gets acclimatized, when Mummy leaves Dinah gets a quick hug and all is well, especially as it’s snack time!

Lulu spends her day making friends, sharing books, building castles, singing songs and dressing up as a super-hero, and, before you know it Mum is there waiting to take Lulu home. It’s been a long and exciting day, but exhausting too, and Lulu is soon fast asleep snuggling up to Mummy on the sofa.

Lulu is an engaging and vibrant character and McQuinn manages to imbue a real sense of Lulu’s feisty lovableness in this simple story. Rosalind Beardshaw’s wonderfully bright and colourful illustrations perfectly capture the upbeat mood of the book.

The Lulu books are a great series following Lulu through all the major experiences of being a small child: getting a pet, visiting the library, going swimming, as well as other early years’ milestones. This gentle story is a perfect addition to Lulu’s adventures, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.