"Just in time for the new school year, the books in the Read for a Better World series may be helpful to students beginning school for the first time. Although somewhat bland, the books are reassuring and offer enough background to help students acclimate to a new school setting. In First Day of School, students arrive in different ways, are greeted by their teacher, learn their way around the school, have lessons and recess, and return home. Making Friends at School defines a friend ("someone you like to be with"), suggests saying hi and asking questions to make new friends, and reminds children that they can have more than one friend. School Bus shows buses on their way to and from school, including one with a wheelchair lift, and offers a few basic safety tips. School Library details different tools available in school libraries as well as appropriate behavior there. Clean, colorful layouts typically feature a sentence or two of text and crisp stock images that show diverse, cheerful students and teachers in a variety of school settings. Back matter invites reader engagement through "You Connect!" and "Social Emotional Snapshot" sections that ask questions about children's experiences with school.

A picture glossary and index are also provided, as is an "Educator Toolbox" to help teachers encourage emerging readers."--Booklist.