This book introduces two little girls who show true compassion when a not-so-ordinary boy joins their classroom. This book contains a winning combination of whimsical illustrations, a well-told story, and a vital message.

This is journalist Katie Couric's first children's book, and a Reading Rainbow book. Couric includes a forward to her readers, explaining that she hopes this book "can be used as a springboard to talk about the importance of basic human kindness and compassion in our daily lives..."I hope this story will inspire all of us to reach out and make someone feel a little less scared and a little less lonely." The story is told in rhyming couples, which create a steady reading cadence. The pictures are large and vibrantly shaded watercolors. Children of many different colors, sizes, and genders are depicted on each page. This is a great book to read to your child as they enter school age. The excitement expressed by the children in the story on their first day of school is palpable!

There are also some important lessons to be learned. Couric intended for this book to spark conversations between parents or grandparents and their little ones. Just as Lazlo S. Gasky was teased in the book for being different, your child is bound to see similar experiences occur in playgroups or pre-school. In the book, Lazlo was judged and teased by his appearance; "His hair was so blond, why it looked almost white. It stuck out all over, it didn't look right. His lips were bright pink, his eyes very blue. He looked at his feet and he fidgeted too." The kids made faces, threw paper balls, ignored, and even tripped poor Lazlo. Encourage your child to consider other's feelings by asking them how they think it would feel to be treated like Lazlo. Then, you can praise Ellie's kindness and empathy, as she was the first child to reach out to Lazlo, asking him to play soccer with her. All it took was one child to accept Lazlo, and the others soon followed. Encourage your child to be the one who reaches out a kind hand to another who may be feeling lonely or scared.

I read this book to my niece, Emily, just before she started her pre-kindergarten class. She was a little nervous, but mostly excited. While reading the book, Emily stopped and asked, "Why are they mean to him? He looks normal to me." I was proud of her for saying that, but also pointed out that even if he looked different than she was used to, that was no reason to be mean. I asked Emily if she was going to be shy on her first day of school, and she replied, "Naw, I'll say 'hi' to everyone. I'm nice!"

--Audra

Katie Couric has been a co-anchor of NBC News' Today since 1991, and in that position she has covered and debuted many important stories about life in America. She is also a contributing anchor for the newsmagazine Dateline NBC. She has been awarded two Emmys, named one of Glamour's Women of the Year, and won wide recognition for her excellent journalism. Raised in Arlington, Virginia, she lives in New York with her two daughters and is at work on her next book.

Marjorie Priceman was awarded a Caldecott Honor for Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss, one of the New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of 1995. Since her first book, the award-winning Friend or Frog, she has illustrated sixteen books and authored five more, including Emeline at the Circus (1999), also a Times Ten Best Illustrated book. Raised in New York, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and currently lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.