Booklist: On the first day of school, the teacher gathers her students into a circle to share their wishes for the coming year. Some are negative (“I won’t be a vegetable in our school play”), some rosy (“I’ll look good in my school picture”), and some perhaps overly optimistic (“We’ll have SKATEBOARD DAY”), but as a group, they reflect a great many facets of the elementary-school experience. And, in the classroom, it could lead straight into the year’s first art project. The short text leaves plenty of space for Andriani to work in, and she uses it imaginatively, creating upbeat and sometimes comical ink-and-wash illustrations. A good discussion starter for the beginning of the school year. Grades K-2.

Kirkus: On the first day of school, this primary-grade teacher encourages her students to share their hopes for the coming year. In one- or two-page spreads, the wishes unfold: for the best seat on the bus, a chocolate fountain at lunch, to kick the ball into the right goal, not to be a vegetable in the school play. . . this agreeable book could act as a fruitful springboard for class brainstorming. (Picture book. 4-7)